1 ت َأمَّلُوا المَحَبَّةَ العَظِيمَةَ الَّتِي أحَبَّنا بِها الآبُ، حَتَّى إنَّهُ أعْطانا امْتِيازاً أنْ نُدعَى أولادَ اللهِ! وَنَحنُ فِعلاً كَذَلِكَ! لِهَذا السَّبَبِ فَإنَّ العالَمَ لا يَعرِفُنا، لأنَّهُ لا يَعرِفُ الآبَ.

¶ Behold, what charity the Father has given us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world does not know us, because it does not know him.

2 أ يُّها الأحِبّاءُ، نَحنُ الآنَ أولادُ اللهِ، وَلَمْ يُعلَنْ بَعدُ ماذا سَنَكُونُ. لَكِنَّنا نَعلَمُ أنَّهُ عِندَما يَعُودُ المَسِيحُ ثانِيَةً سَنَكُونُ مِثلَهُ، لِأنَّنا سَنَراهُ كَما هُوَ فِعلاً!

Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be; but we know that if he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 ف َمَنْ يَمتَلِكُ هَذا الرَّجاءَ، يُطَهِّرُ نَفسَهُ كَما أنَّ المَسِيحَ طاهِرٌ.

And every one that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

4 ك ُلُّ مَنْ يَفعَلُ الخَطِيَّةَ، يَكسِرُ شَرِيعَةَ اللهِ، لِأنَّ الخَطِيَّةَ هِيَ كَسرٌ لِلشَّرِيعَةِ.

¶ Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

5 و َتَعلَمُونَ أنَّ المَسِيحَ قَدْ جاءَ لِكَيْ يُزِيلَ خَطايا البَشَرِ، وَلَيسَتْ فِيهِ أيَّةُ خَطِيَّةٍ.

And ye know that he appeared to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him.

6 ك ُلُّ مَنْ يَثبُتُ فِي المَسِيحِ لا يَستَمِرُّ فِي الخَطِيَّةِ، أمّا مَنْ يَستَمِرُّ فِي الخَطِيَّةِ، فَذَلِكَ لَمْ يَرَ المَسِيحَ وَلَمْ يَعرِفهُ.

Whosoever abides in him does not sin: whosoever sins has not seen him or known him.

7 أ بنائِي الأعِزّاءَ، لا تَدَعُوا أحَداً يَخدَعْكُمْ. مَنْ يَفعَلُ البِرَّ، بارٌّ كَما أنَّ المَسِيحَ بارٌّ.

Little children, let no one deceive you; he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he also is righteous.

8 أ مّا مَنْ يَرتَكِبُ الخَطِيَّةَ، فَهُوَ يَنتَمِي إلَى إبليسَ، لِأنَّ إبليسَ خاطِئٌ مُنذُ البِدايَةِ. وَلِهَذا جاءَ ابنُ اللهِ، كَيْ يُدَمِّرَ أعْمالَ إبلِيسَ.

He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God appeared, that he might undo the works of the devil.

9 م َنْ أصبَحَ ابناً للهِ لا يُواصِلُ مَمارَسَةَ الخَطِيَّةِ، لأنَّ بِذرَةَ الحَياةِ الَّتي وَضَعَها اللهُ فيهِ، تَثْبُتُ فيهِ. بَلْ هُوَ لا يَستَطيعُ أنْ يَسْتَمِرَّ فِي الخَطِيَّةِ، لِأنَّهُ أصبَحَ ابناً للهِ.

Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10 ب ِهَذا تَعِرِفونَ أولادَ اللهِ وَأولادَ إبلِيسَ، فَكُلُّ مَنْ لا يَفعَلُ البِرَّ لا يَنتَمِي إلَى اللهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ كُلُّ مَنْ لا يُحِبُّ أخاهُ. نُحِبُّ بَعضُنا بَعضا

In this the sons of God are manifest, and the sons of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness and that loves not his brother is not of God.

11 ه َذِهِ هِيَ الرِّسالَةُ الَّتِي سَمِعْتُمُوها مِنَ البِدايَةِ: أنْ نُحِبَّ بَعضُنا بَعضاً.

¶ For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, That we should love one another.

12 ل َيسَ مِثلَ قايِيْنَ الَّذِي كانَ يَنتَمِي إلَى الشِّرِّيْرِ وَقَتَلَ أخاهُ. وَلِماذا قَتَلَهُ؟ قَتَلَهُ لِأنَّ أعمالَهُ هُوَ كانَتْ شِرِّيْرَةً، وَأعمالُ أخِيهِ حَسَنَةً.

Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

13 أ يُّها الإخوَةُ، لا تَستَغرِبُوا إذا كَرِهَكُمُ العالَمُ.

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you.

14 إ نَّنا نَعلَمُ أنَّنا اجتَزنا مِنَ المَوتِ إلَى الحَياةِ، لِأنَّنا نُحِبُّ إخْوَتَنا، وَمَنْ لا يُحِبُّ يَبقَى فِي المَوتِ.

¶ We know that we are passed from death unto life, in that we love the brethren. He that does not love his brother abides in death.

15 م َنْ يُبغِضُ أخاهُ هُوَ قاتِلٌ! وَأنتُمْ تَعلَمُونَ أنَّ مَنْ يَقتُلُ، لَيسَتْ لَهُ حَياةٌ أبَدِيَّةٌ ثابِتَةٌ فِيهِ.

Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 ه َكَذا نَعرِفُ المَحَبَّةَ: كَما أنَّ المَسِيحَ بَذَلَ حَياتَهُ مِنْ أجلِنا، كَذَلِكَ عَلَينا أنْ نَبذُلَ حَياتَنا فِي سَبِيلِ إخْوَتِنا.

In this we have known the charity of God because he laid down his life for us; we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17 ك ُلُّ مَنْ يَملِكُ شَيئاً مِنْ خَيراتِ هَذِهِ الدُّنيا، وَيَرَى أخاهُ فِي حاجَةٍ وَلا يُشفِقُ عَلَيهِ، لا يُمكِنُ أنْ تَكُونَ مَحَبَّةُ اللهِ ثابِتَةً فِيهِ.

But whosoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother have need and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how does the charity of God abide in him?

18 أ بنائِي الأعِزّاءَ، دَعُونا لا نُحِبَّ بِالكَلامِ أوْ بِاللِّسانِ، بَلْ بِالمُمارَسَةِ وَالصِّدقِ.

My little children, let us not love in word neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

19 ه َكَذا نَعلَمُ أنَّنا نَنتَمِي إلَى الحَقِّ، وَهَكَذا تَطمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُنا أمامَ اللهِ.

And in this we know that we are of the truth and have our hearts certified before him.

20 و َحَتَّى لَوْ أنَّبَتْنا قُلُوبُنا، فَاللهُ أعظَمُ مِنْ قُلُوبِنا، وَيَعلَمُ كُلَّ شَيءٍ.

¶ And if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

21 أ حِبّائِي الأعِزّاءَ، إنْ لَمْ تُؤَنِّبنا قُلُوبُنا، فَإنَّ لَنا جُرأةً بِالِاقتِرابِ مِنَ اللهِ.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, then we have confidence in God;

22 ف َهُوَ يُعطِينا كُلَّ ما نَطلُبُهُ، لِأنَّنا نُطِيعُ وَصاياهُ، وَنَفعَلُ ما يُسِرُّهُ.

and whatsoever we ask, we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

23 و َهَذا ما يُوصِينا بِهِ: أنْ نُؤمِنَ بابنِهِ يَسُوعَ المَسِيحِ، وَأنْ نُحِبَّ بَعضُنا بَعضاً كَما أوصانا يَسُوعُ.

¶ And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he has commanded us.

24 م َنْ يُطِيعُ وَصايا اللهِ، يَثْبُتُ فِي اللهِ، وَيَثْبُتُ اللهُ فِيهِ. وَنَحنُ نَعرِفُ أنَّ اللهَ ثابِتٌ فِينا بِالرُّوحِ القُدُسِ الَّذِي أعطاهُ لَنا.

And he that keeps his commandments dwells in him, and he in him. And in this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.