Chapter II

FALSE SPIRITS, BROTHERLY LOVE, THE LOVE OF GOD, THE THREE WITNESSES, ETC.

1 [4:1]BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. [4:2]By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, [4:3]and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. And this is the [spirit] of anti-christ, of which you have heard that he is coming, and he is now in the world already.

2 [4:4]You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. [4:5]They are of the world; therefore they speak of the world and the world hears them. [4:6]We are of God; he that knows God hears us, he that is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

3 [4:7]Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and every one that loves has been born of God and knows God. [4:8]He that loves not has not known God; for God is love. [4:9]The love of God was manifested to us in this; that God has sent his only Son into the world that we may live through him. [4:10]In this is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son a propitiation for our sins.

4 [4:11]Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. [4:12] No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God continues in us and his love is perfected in us. [4:13]By this we know that we continue in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. [4:14]And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son, the Saviour of the world. [4:15]Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God continues in him and he in God. [4:16]And we have known and believed the love which God has for us. God is love; and he that continues in love continues in God and God in him.

5 [4:17]By this is love perfected with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that as he is we also are in this world. [4:18]There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has pain; and he that is afraid is not made perfect in love. [4:19]We love, because he first loved us. [4:20] If any one says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? [4:21]And we have this commandment from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.

6 [5:1]Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and every one who loves the Father loves also the Son who is born to him. [5:2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. [5:3]For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous; [5:4]for every child that has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory which overcomes the world, our faith. [5:5]Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

7 [5:6]This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus, the Christ; not by water only, but by water and by blood; and the Spirit is that which testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. [5:7]For there are three that testify; the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the three are one. [5:9]If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son. [5:10]He that believes on the Son of God has the testimony in himself; he that believes not God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony which God has testified concerning his Son. [5:11]And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [5:12]He that has the Son has the life; he that has not the Son has not the life.

8 [5:13]These things have I written to you, that you who believe in the name of the Son of God may know that you have eternal life. [5:14]And this is the confidence which we have in respect to him, that if we ask any thing according to his will he hears us. [5:15]And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. [5:16]If any one sees his brother commit a sin, not to death, he shall ask, and he will give him life, for those who sin not to death. There is a sin to death; I say not that you should pray for it. [5:17]All wickedness is sin, and there is sin not to death.

9 [5:18]We know that every one who has been born of God does not sin, but he that has been born of God keeps himself, and the evil one does not touch him. [5:19]We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. [5:20]And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding that we may know the true One; and we are in the true One, in his Son Jesus Christ; this is the true God, and eternal life. [5:21]Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

SECOND EPISTLE OF JOHN.

A.D. 68.

A COMMENDATION OF CURIA'S CHILDREN, ETC.

1 [1:1]THE elder to the elect Curia and her children, whom I love in truth, and not I only but also all who have known the truth, [1:2]on account of the truth which continues in you, and shall be with you forever. [1:3]Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, shall be with you in truth and love.

2 [1:4]I rejoiced exceedingly that I found your children walking in the truth as we received commandment from the Father. [1:5]And now I beseech you, Curia, not as if writing a new commandment to you, but [one] which we had from the beginning, that we should love one another. [1:6]And this is love, that we should walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. [1:7]For many deceivers have gone out into the world, who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in the flesh; this is the deceiver, and the antichrist. [1:8]Take heed to yourselves, that ye lose not the labor which you performed, but receive a full reward. [1:9]Every one who goes beyond, and continues not in the doctrine of Christ, is without God. He that continues in the doctrine has both the Son and the Father. [1:10] If any one comes to you and brings not this doctrine, receive him not into your houses, and salute him not; [1:11]for he that salutes him is a partaker of his evil works.

3 [1:12]Having many things to write, I do not wish to write with paper and ink, but I hope to be with you and to speak face to face, that our joy may be full. [1:13]The children of your elect sister salute you.

THIRD EPISTLE OF JOHN.

A.D. 68.

A COMMENDATION OF GAIUS AND DEMETRIUS, AND A DENUNCIATION OF DIOTREPHES.

1 [1:1]THE elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. [1:2]Beloved, I desire above all things that you may prosper and be in health, as your soul prospers. [1:3]For I rejoiced exceedingly when the brothers came and testified of your truth, as you walk in truth. [1:4]I have no greater joy than this, that I hear of my children walking in the truth.

2 [1:5]Beloved, you did faithfully whatever you do to the brothers, and that to strangers, [1:6]who testified of your love before the church, whom you will do well to send forward worthily of God. [1:7]For they went out for his name, taking nothing of the gentiles. [1:8]We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be co-laborers for the truth.

3 [1:9]I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes desiring the pre-eminence does not receive us. [1:10]Therefore if I come I will remember his works which he performs, prating against us with evil words, and not being satisfied, in addition to these [things] he does not receive the brothers, and forbids and casts out of the church those wishing to do it.

4 [1:11]Beloved, do not imitate evil but good. He that does good is of God; he that does evil has not seen God. [1:12]Testimony is borne to Demetrius by all, and by the truth itself; and we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.

5 [1:13]I had many things to write, but wish not to write to you with ink and pen; [1:14]but hope soon to see you, and we will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends salute you; salute the friends by name.

[THE EPISTLE] TO THE HEBREWS.

A.D. 68.