1 My loved ones, do not put your faith in every spirit, but put them to the test, to see if they are from God: because a great number of false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you may have knowledge of the Spirit of God: every spirit which says that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God:

3 And every spirit which does not say this is not from God: this is the spirit of Antichrist, of which you have had word; and it is in the world even now.

4 You are of God, my little children, and you have overcome them because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

5 They are of the world, so their talk is the world's talk, and the world gives ear to them.

6 We are of God: he who has the knowledge of God gives ear to us; he who is not of God does not give ear to us. By this we may see which is the true spirit, and which is the spirit of error.

7 My loved ones, let us have love for one another: because love is of God, and everyone who has love is a child of God and has knowledge of God.

8 He who has no love has no knowledge of God, because God is love.

9 And the love of God was made clear to us when he sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.

10 And this is love, not that we had love for God, but that he had love for us, and sent his Son to be an offering for our sins.

11 My loved ones, if God had such love for us, it is right for us to have love for one another.

12 No man has ever seen God: if we have love for one another, God is in us and his love is made complete in us:

13 And his Spirit which he has given us is the witness that we are in him and he is in us.

14 And we have seen and give witness that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15 Everyone who says openly that Jesus is the Son of God, has God in him and is in God.

16 And we have seen and had faith in the love which God has for us. God is love, and everyone who has love is in God, and God is in him.

17 In this way love is made complete in us, so that we may be without fear on the day of judging, because as he is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear, because where fear is, there is pain; and he who is not free from fear is not complete in love.

19 We have the power of loving, because he first had love for us.

20 If a man says, I have love for God, and has hate for his brother, his words are false: for how is the man who has no love for his brother whom he has seen, able to have love for God whom he has not seen?

21 And this is the word which we have from him, that he who has love for God is to have the same love for his brother.

1 E nga hoa aroha, kaua e whakapono atu ki nga wairua katoa, engari me whakamatau nga wairua no te Atua ranei; he tokomaha hoki nga poropiti teka kua haere mai ki te ao.

2 Ma konei koutou ka matau ai ki te Wairua o te Atua: ko nga wairua katoa e whakaae ana i haere mai a Ihu Karaiti i te kikokiko, no te Atua era:

3 Ko nga wairua katoa hoki kahore e whakaae i haere mai a Ihu Karaiti i te kikokiko, ehara i te mea no te Atua: ko to te anatikaraiti wairua ano tenei, i rongo nei koutou e haere mai ana; a tenei ano kei te ao nei inaianei.

4 No te Atua koutou, e aku tamariki nonohi, kua kaha ano koutou i a ratou: no te mea nui atu tenei i roto i a koutou, i tera i roto i te ao.

5 No te ao ratou: na reira no te ao nei ano a ratou korero, a e whakarongo ana te ao ki a ratou.

6 No te Atua tatou: ko te tangata e matau ana ki te Atua, e whakarongo ana ia ki a tatou; ko te tangata ehara nei i ta te Atua, e kore ia e whakarongo ki a tatou. Ma konei tatou ka matau ai ki te wairua o te pono, ki te wairua o te he.

7 E nga hoa aroha, kia aroha tatou tetahi ki tetahi: no te Atua hoki te aroha; ko te hunga katoa hoki e aroha ana, kua whanau i te Atua, e matau ana hoki ki te Atua.

8 Ko te tangata kahore e aroha, kahore ia e matau ki te Atua; he aroha hoki te Atua.

9 Na konei i kitea mai ai te aroha o te Atua ki a tatou, na te mea kua tonoa mai e te Atua tana Tama kotahi ki te ao, kia ora ai tatou i a ia.

10 Ko te aroha tenei, ehara i te mea ko tatou kua aroha ki te Atua, engari ko ia kua aroha ki a tatou, a tonoa mai ana e ia tana Tama hei whakamarie mo o tatou hara.

11 E nga hoa aroha, ki te mea i penei te aroha o te Atua ki a tatou, he tika ano hoki kia aroha tatou tetahi ki tetahi.

12 Kahore he wa i kite ai tetahi i te Atua. Ki te aroha tatou tetahi ki tetahi, e noho ana te Atua i roto i a tatou, kua rite pu ano tona aroha i roto i a tatou.

13 Na konei tatou i matau ai e noho ana tatou i roto i a ia, me ia i roto i a tatou, na te mea kua homai e ia ta tona Wairua ki a tatou.

14 Kua kite ano matou, ka whakaatu nei ano hoki, i tonoa mai te Tama e te Matua hei Kaiwhakaora mo te ao.

15 Ko te tangata e whakaae ana ko Ihu te Tama a te Atua, e noho ana te Atua i roto i a ia, me ia ano hoki i roto i te Atua.

16 Kua matau nei ano hoki tatou, kua whakapono ki te aroha o te Atua ki a tatou. He aroha te Atua, ko te tangata hoki e noho ana i runga i te aroha e noho ana i roto i te Atua, me te Atua ano hoki i roto i a ia.

17 Na konei te aroha i roto i a tatou i rite pu ai, a ka whai maiatanga ano tatou a te ra whakawa: na te mea e rite ana ki a ia tatou e noho nei i tenei ao.

18 Kahore he mataku i roto i te aroha: engari ka maka te mataku ki waho e te aroha ina tino rite; no te mea he mamae to te mataku. Ko te tangata hoki e mataku ana, kahore ia i tino rite i roto i te aroha.

19 E aroha ana tatou ki a ia, no te mea ko ia kua matua aroha ki a tatou.

20 Ki te mea tetahi, E aroha ana ahau ki te Atua, a e mauahara ana ki tona teina, he tangata teka ia: ko te tangata hoki kahore e aroha ki tona teina i kitea nei e ia, me pehea ka aroha ai ia ki te Atua kahore nei i kitea e ia?

21 Kei a tatou ano hoki tenei ture, he mea nana, Ko te tangata e aroha ana ki te Atua, kia aroha hoki ki tona teina.