I John Chapter 1

Other Translations

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 That which was from [the] beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes; that which we contemplated, and our hands handled, concerning the word of life;

2 (and the life has been manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us:)

3 that which we have seen and heard we report to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship [is] indeed with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 And these things write we to you that your joy may be full.

5 And this is the message which we have heard from him, and declare to you, thatGod is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practise the truth.

7 But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us [our] sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Quod fuit ab initio, quod audivimus, quod vidimus oculis nostris, quod perspeximus, et manus nostræ contrectaverunt de verbo vitæ:

2 et vita manifestata est, et vidimus, et testamur, et annunciamus vobis vitam æternam, quæ erat apud Patrem, et apparuit nobis:

3 quod vidimus et audivimus, annunciamus vobis, ut et vos societatem habeatis nobiscum, et societas nostra sit cum Patre, et cum Filio eius Iesu Christo.

4 Et hæc scribimus vobis ut gaudeatis, et gaudium vestrum sit plenum.

5 Et hæc est annunciatio, quam audivimus ab eo, et annunciamus vobis: Quoniam Deus lux est, et tenebræ in eo non sunt ullæ.

6 Si dixerimus quoniam societatem habemus cum eo, et in tenebris ambulamus, mentimur, et veritatem non facimus.

7 Si autem in luce ambulamus sicut et ipse est in luce, societatem habemus ad invicem, et sanguis Iesu Christi, Filii eius, emundat nos ab omni peccato.

8 Si dixerimus quoniam peccatum non habemus, ipsi nos seducimus, et veritas in nobis non est.

9 Si confiteamur peccata nostra: fidelis est, et iustus, ut remittat nobis peccata nostra, et emundet nos ab omni iniquitate.

10 Si dixerimus quoniam non peccavimus: mendacem facimus eum, et verbum eius non est in nobis.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold, and our hands did handle, concerning the Word of the Life--

2 and the Life was manifested, and we have seen, and do testify, and declare to you the Life, the age-during, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us--

3 that which we have seen and heard declare we to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship <FI>is<Fi> with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ;

4 and these things we write to you, that your joy may be full.

5 And this is the message that we have heard from Him, and announce to you, that God is light, and darkness in Him is not at all;

6 if we may say--`we have fellowship with Him,' and in the darkness may walk--we lie, and do not the truth;

7 and if in the light we may walk, as He is in the light--we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son doth cleanse us from every sin;

8 if we may say--`we have not sin,' ourselves we lead astray, and the truth is not in us;

9 if we may confess our sins, stedfast He is and righteous that He may forgive us the sins, and may cleanse us from every unrighteousness;

10 if we may say--`we have not sinned,' a liar we make Him, and His word is not in us.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).