1 أ يُّها الأحِبّاءُ، لا تُصَدِّقُوا كُلَّ مَنْ يَقُولُ إنَّهُ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِالرُّوحِ، بَلِ امتَحِنُوا ما يُقالُ لِتَعرِفُوا إنْ كانَ مِنَ اللهِ. لِأنَّ العَدِيدَ مِنَ الأنبِياءِ الكَذَبَةِ انتَشَرُوا فِي هَذا العالَمِ.

Beloved, do not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.

2 ه َكَذا تُمَيِّزُونَ رُوحَ اللهِ: كُلُّ نَبِيٍّ يَعتَرِفُ بِأنَّ يَسُوعَ المَسِيحَ أتَى إلَى الأرْضِ بِجَسَدِ إنسانٍ يَكُونُ مِنْ رُوحِ اللهِ،

By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges and confesses that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) has become man and has come in the flesh is of God;

3 و َكُلُّ نَبِيٍّ لا يَعتَرِفُ بِأنَّ يَسُوعَ المَسِيحَ أتَى إلَى الأرْضِ بِجَسَدِ إنسانٍ، لا يَكُونُ مِنْ رُوحِ اللهِ، وَهُوَ ضِدُّ المَسِيحِ. قَدْ سَمِعْتُمْ أنَّ ضِدَّ المَسيحِ سَيَأتِي، وَهُوَ الآنَ فِي العالَمِ!

And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh '> annul, destroy, sever, disunite Him] is not of God. This '> nonconfession] is the of the antichrist, which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world.

4 أ يُّها الأولادُ، أنتُمْ تَنتَمُونَ إلَى اللهِ، وَقَدْ هَزَمتُمْ أُولَئِكَ الأنبِياءَ، لِأنَّ اللهَ الَّذي فِيكُمْ أعظَمُ مِنْ إبليسَ الَّذِي فِي العالَمِ.

Little children, you are of God and have defeated and overcome them, because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

5 و َهُمْ يَنتَمُونَ إلَى العالَمِ، لِذَلِكَ يَأْتِي كَلامُهُمْ مِنَ العالَمِ، وَيَستَمِعُ العالَمُ إلَيْهِمْ.

They proceed from the world and are of the world; therefore it is out of the world '> whole economy morally considered] that they speak, and the world listens (pays attention) to them.

6 أ مّا نَحنُ فَنَنتَمِي إلَى اللهِ، وَمَنْ يَعرِفُ اللهَ يَستَمِعُ إلَينا. لَكِنْ مَنْ لا يَعرِفُ اللهَ، فَلَنْ يَستَمِعَ إلَينا. هَكَذا نُمَيِّزُ بَينَ رُوحِ الحَقِّ وَرُوحِ الضَّلالِ. المَحَبَّةُ تَأْتِي مِنَ الله

We are of God. Whoever is learning to know God '> get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.

7 أ حِبّائِي الأعِزّاء، لِيُحِبَّ بَعضُنا بَعضاً، لِأنَّ المَحَبَّةَ تَأْتِي مِنَ اللهِ. وَكُلُّ مَنْ يُحِبُّ، يَكُونُ ابناً للهِ وَيَعرِفُهُ.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves is begotten (born) of God and is coming to know and understand God.

8 أ مّا مَنْ لا يُحِبُّ، فَإنَّهُ لَمْ يَعرِفِ اللهَ، لِأنَّ اللهَ مَحَبَّةٌ.

He who does not love has not become acquainted with God, for God is love.

9 ه َكَذا أظهَرَ اللهُ مَحَبَّتَهُ لَنا: أرسَلَ ابنَهُ الوَحِيدَ إلَى العالَمِ، حَتَّى نَستَطِيعَ أنْ نَحيا بِهِ.

In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique, into the world so that we might live through Him.

10 ف َالمَحَبَّةُ الحَقِيقِيَّةُ لَيسَتْ أنَّنا أحبَبنا اللهَ، بَلْ أنَّهُ هُوَ أحَبَّنا، حَتَّى إنَّهُ أرسَلَ ابنَهُ لِيَكُونَ ذَبِيحَةً عَنْ خَطايانا.

In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.

11 أ يُّها الأحِبّاء، بِما أنَّ اللهَ أحَبَّنا بِهَذِهِ الطَّرِيقَةِ، يَنبَغي أنْ نُحِبَّ بَعضُنا بَعضاً.

Beloved, if God loved us so, we also ought to love one another.

12 ل ا أحَدَ رَأى اللهَ، لَكِنْ إنْ أحبَّ بَعضُنا بَعضاً، فَإنَّ اللهَ يَحيا فِينا، وَتَكتَمِلُ مَحَبَّتُهُ فِينا.

No man has at any time seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!

13 ن َعرِفُ أنَّنا نَحيا فِي اللهِ وَأنَّهُ يَحيا فِينا، لِأنَّهُ سَمَحَ لَنا أنْ نَشتَرِكَ فِي رُوحِهِ.

By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His Spirit.

14 ل َقَدْ رَأينا وَشَهِدنا أنَّ الآبَ أرسَلَ ابنَهُ لِيُخَلِّصَ العالَمَ.

And we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son Savior of the world.

15 و َكُلُّ مَنْ يَعتَرِفُ أنَّ يَسُوعَ هُوَ ابنُ اللهِ، فَإنَّ اللهَ يَثْبُتُ فِيهِ، وَهُوَ يَثْبُتُ فِي اللهِ.

Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he in God.

16 و َهَكَذا عَرَفنا وَصَدَّقنا المَحَبَّةَ الَّتِي يُحِبُّنا إيّاها اللهُ. اللهُ مَحَبَّةٌ، وَمَنْ يَثْبُتُ فِي المَحَبَّةِ، يَثْبُتُ فِي اللهِ، وَيَثْبُتُ اللهُ فِيهِ.

And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

17 و َهَكَذا تُصبِحُ المَحَبَّةُ كامِلَةً فِينا، فَنُشبِهَ المَسِيحَ فِي هَذا العالَمِ، وَتَكُونُ لَنا ثِقَةٌ بِاللهِ عِندَما يَدِينُ العالَمَ.

In this love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world.

18 ا لمَحَبَّةِ وَالخَوفُ لا يَجتَمِعانِ، فَالمَحَبَّةُ الكامِلَةُ تَطرُدُ الخَوفَ. الخَوفُ مُرتَبِطٌ بِالعِقابِ، وَمَنْ يَخافُ، لَمْ تَكتَمِلْ مَحَبَّتُهُ.

There is no fear in love, but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love.

19 إ نَّنا نُحِبُّ، لِأنَّ اللهَ بادَرَ إلَى مَحَبَّتِنا.

We love Him, because He first loved us.

20 ف َإنْ قالَ أحَدُهُمْ: «إنِّي أُحِبُّ اللهَ.» وَهُوَ يَكرَهُ أخاهُ، يَكُونُ كاذِباً. لِأنَّ مَنْ لا يُحِبُّ أخاهُ الَّذِي يَراهُ، لا يَستَطِيعُ أنْ يُحِبَّ اللهَ الَّذِي لَمْ يَرَه.

If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother '> in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.

21 ف َالرَّبُّ قَدْ أوصانا وَقالَ: «مَنْ يُحِبُّ اللهَ، عَلَيهِ أنْ يُحِبَّ أخاهُ أيضاً.»

And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother '> believer] also.