1   Whiche thing was fro the bigynnynge, which we herden, which we si&yogh;en with oure i&yogh;en, whiche we bihelden, and oure hondes tretiden to gydere, `or touchiden, of the word of lijf; 2   and the lijf is shewid. And we si&yogh;en, and we witnessen, and tellen to &yogh;ou euerelastinge lijf, that was anentis the fadir, and apperide to us. 3   Therfore that thing, that we si&yogh;en, and herden, we tellen to &yogh;ou, that and &yogh;e haue felaushippe with us, and oure felauschip be with the fadir, and his sone Jhesu Crist. 4   And `this thing we writen to &yogh;ou, that &yogh;e haue ioye, and &yogh;oure ioye be ful. 5   And this is the tellyng, that we herden of him, and tellen to &yogh;ou, for God is li&yogh;t, and ony derknesses ben not in him. 6   If we `shulen seie, for we han felauschip with him, and we wandren in derknessis, we li&yogh;en, and we don not treuthe. 7   Sotheli if we walken in li&yogh;t, as and he is in li&yogh;t, we han felauschip to gydere; and the blood of Jhesu, his sone, clensith us fro al synne. 8   If we `shulen seie, for we han not synne, we `oure silf deceyuen us, and treuthe is not in us. 9   If we knowlechen oure synnes, he is feithful and iust,

that he for&yogh;iue to us oure synnes, and clense us fro al wickidnesse. 10   If we `shulen seie, for we han not synned, we maken him a li&yogh;er, and his word is not in us. CAP. II.

1   My litel sones, I wrijte to &yogh;ou thes thinges, that `&yogh;e synne not. But and if ony man `shal synne, we han auoket anentis the fadir, 2   Jhesu Crist iust, and he is helpyng for oure synnes; sotheli not onely for oure, but also for of al the world. 3   And in this thing we witen, for we han knowun him, if we kepen his commaundementes. 4   He that seith him for to `haue knowe God, and kepith not his commaundementes, is a li&yogh;er, and treuthe is not in him. 5   Forsothe who kepith his word, `verily in him is parfijt charite. In this thing we witen, for we ben in him, if we shulen be parfijt in him. 6   He that seith him for to dwelle in him, and he owith for to walke, as he walkide. 7   Moost dere, I wrijte to &yogh;ou, not a newe maundement, but the olde maundement, that &yogh;e hadden fro the bigynnyng. The olde maundement is the word, that &yogh;e herden. 8   Eftsoone I wrijte to &yogh;ou a newe maundement, that is trewe and in him and in &yogh;ou; for derknesses passeden, and verrey li&yogh;t `now shijneth. 9   He that seith him for to be in li&yogh;t, and haatith his brother, is in derknesse til to &yogh;it. 10   He that loueth his brothir, dwellith in li&yogh;t, and sclaundre is not in him. 11   Sotheli he that haatith his brother, is in derknessis, and `in derknessis wandrith, and woot not whidir he goith; for derknesses han blyndid his i&yogh;en. 12   Litel sones, I wrijte to &yogh;ou, for &yogh;oure synnes ben for&yogh;ouun to &yogh;ou for his name. 13   Fadirs, I wrijte to &yogh;ou,

for &yogh;e han knowun him, that is fro the bigynnynge. &YOGH;onge men, I wrijte to &yogh;ou, for &yogh;e han ouercome the wickid. 14   I wrijte to &yogh;ou, infauntis, `or &yogh;onge children, for &yogh;e han knowe the fadir. I wrijte to &yogh;ou &yogh;onge men, `or of mydle age, for &yogh;e ben stronge, and the word of God dwellith in &yogh;ou, and &yogh;e ouercamen the wickid. 15   Nyle &yogh;e loue the world, nether tho thinges that ben in the world. If ony man loueth the world, the charite of the fadir is not in him. 16   Forwhi al thing that is in the world, is coueytise of flesch, and coueytise of i&yogh;en, and pride of lijf, whiche is not of the fadir, but it is of the world. 17   And the world shal passe, and the coueytise of it; sotheli he that doith the wille of God, dwellith `in to with outen ende. 18   Mi litel sones, the last hour is; and as &yogh;e han herd for antecrist cometh, now many antecristes ben made; `wher of we witen, for it is the last hour. 19   Thei wenten forth fro us, but thei weren not of us; forwhi if thei hadden be of us, sotheli thei hadden dwelt with us; but that thei be knowun, for thei ben not of us. 20   But &yogh;e han vnccioun of the Holy Goost, and han knowe alle thinges. 21   I wroot not to &yogh;ou as to men vnknowinge treuthe, but as to knowinge it, and for ech lesyng `is not of treuthe. 22   Who is a li&yogh;er, no but this that denyeth for Jhesus is not Crist? This is antecrist, that denyeth the fadir and the sone. 23   Sotheli ech that denyeth the sone, `nether hath the fadir; forsothe he that knowlechith the sone, hath and the fadir. 24   That thing that &yogh;e herden fro the begynnynge, dwelle in &yogh;ou; for if it `shal dwelle in &yogh;ou, the which &yogh;e herden at the bigynnynge, and &yogh;e shulen dwelle in the sone and the fadir. 25   And this is the a&yogh;en biheest, that he bihi&yogh;te to us, euerelastyng lijf. 26   I wroot thes

thinges to &yogh;ou, of hem that deceyuen &yogh;ou; `and the anoyntyng, 27   `the which &yogh;e receyueden of him, dwelle in &yogh;ou. And &yogh;e han not nede, that ony man teche &yogh;ou, but as his anoyntyng techith &yogh;ou of alle thingis, and it is trewe, and it is not lesyng; and as he tau&yogh;te &yogh;ou, dwelle &yogh;e in him. 28   And now, &yogh;e litel sones, dwellith in him, that whan he shal appere, we han trist, and be not confoundid of him in his comynge. 29   If &yogh;e witen, for he is iust, `wite &yogh;e for and ech that doith ri&yogh;twisnesse, is born of him. CAP. III.

1   See &yogh;e what maner charite the fadir &yogh;af to us, that we be named the sones of God, and be. For this thing the world knew not us, for it knew not him. 2   Moost dere, now we ben the sones of God, and &yogh;it it apperide not, what we shulen be. We witen, for whan he shal appere, we shulen be lijk to him, for we shulen see him as he is. 3   And ech man that hath this hope in him, makith him silf holy, as and he is holy. 4   Ech man that doith synne, doith and wickidnesse, and synne is wickidnesse. 5   And &yogh;e witen, for he apperide that he shulde do awey synnes, and synne is not in him. 6   Ech man that dwellith in him, synneth not; and ech that synneth, seeth not him, ne knew him. Litel sones, no man deceyue &yogh;ou; he that doith ri&yogh;twisnesse, is iust, as and he is iust. 8   He that `doith synne, is of the deuel; for the deuel synneth at the bigynnynge. In

this thing the sone of God apperide, that he vndo the werkes of the deuel. 9   Ech man that is born of God, doith not synne; for the seed of God dwellith in him, and he mai not synne, for he is born of God. 10   In this thing the sones of God ben knowun, and the sones of the fend. Ech man that is not iust, is not of God, and he that loueth not his brother. 11   For this is the tellyng, that &yogh;e herden at the bigynnyng, that &yogh;e loue ech other; 12   not as Caym, that was of the yuel, and slow his brother. And for what thing slew he him? for his werkes weren yuele, sotheli his brotheris iust. 13   Britheren, nyle &yogh;e wondre, if the world haatith &yogh;ou. 14   We witen, for we ben translatid fro deeth to lijf, for we loue britheren. He that loueth not, dwellith in deeth. 15   Ech man that haatith his brother, is a manqueller; and &yogh;e witen, for ech manqueller hath not euerlasting lijf dwellinge in him. 16   In this thing we han knowe the charite of God, for he puttide his soule, `or lijf, for vs, and we owen for to putte oure soules for britheren. 17   He that `shal haue the substaunse of this world, and `shal see his brother for to haue nede, and `shal close his entrayles fro him, hou dwellith the charite of God in him? 18   Mi litel sones, loue we not in word, nether in tunge, but in werk and treuthe. 19   In this thing we knowen, for we ben of treuthe, and in his si&yogh;t we monesten oure hertes. 20   For if oure herte shal reproue us, `or vndernyme, God is more than oure herte, and knew alle thinges. 21   Moost dere, if oure herte `shal not reproue us, we han trist to God; 22   and what euer we shulen axe, we shulen receyue of him, for we kepen his comaundementes, and we don tho thinges, that ben

plesaunt bifore him. 23   And this is the comaundement of him, that we bileue in the name of his sone Jhesu Crist, and loue ech other, as he &yogh;af heest to vs. 24   And he that kepith his maundementes, dwellith in him, and he in him. And in this thing we witen, for he dwellith in us, of the spirit, whom he &yogh;af to us. CAP. IV.

1   Moost dere, nyle &yogh;e bileue to eche spirit, but proue &yogh;e spiritis, if thei ben of God; for many false prophetes wenten out in to the world. 2   In this thing the spirit of God is knowun; ech spirit that knowlechith Crist for to haue comen in flesch, is of God; 3   and ech spirit that dissolueth, `or fordoith, Jhesu, is not of God. And this is antecrist, of whom &yogh;e herden, for he cometh; and ri&yogh;t now he is in the world. 4   &YOGH;e, litel sones, ben of God, and &yogh;e han ouercome him; for he that is in &yogh;ou is more, than he that in the world. 5   Thei ben of the world, therfore thei speken of the world, and the world herith hem. 6   We ben of God; he that knew God, herith us; he that is not of God, herith not us. In this thing we knowen the spirit of treuthe, and the spirit of errour. 7   Moost dere, loue we to gydere, for charite is of God; and ech man that loueth his brother, is born of God, and knowith God. 8   He that loueth not, hath not charite, `nether knew God; for God is charite. 9   In this thing the charite of God apperide in us, for God sente his oon bigeten sone in to the world, that we lyue bi him. 10   In this thing is charite, not as we hadden loued God, `but for he first louede us, and sente his sone helpinge for oure synnes. 11   &YOGH;e moost dere, if God louede us, and we owen for to loue ech other. 12   No man si&yogh;e euere God;

if we louen to gydere, God dwellith in us, and the charite of him is parfijt in us. 13   In this thing we knowen, for we dwellen in him, and he in us; for of his spirit he &yogh;af to us. 14   And we si&yogh;en, and witnessen, `for the fadir sente his sone sauyour of the world. 15   Who euere `shal knowleche, for Jhesus is the sone of God, God dwellith in him, and he in God. 16   And we han knowen, and bileuen to the charite, that God hath in us. God is charite, and he that dwellith in charite, dwellith in God, and God in him. 17   In this thing is the parfijt charite of God with us, that we haue trist in the day of dome; for as he is, and we ben in this world. 18   Drede is not in charite, but parfijt charite sendith out drede; for drede hath peyne. Forsothe he that dredith, is not parfijt in charite. 19   Therfore loue we God, for he former louede us. 20   If ony man `shal seie, for I loue God, and `shal haate his brother, he is a li&yogh;er. Sotheli he that loueth not his brother, whiche he seeth, hou mai he loue God, whom he seeth not? And we han this precept of God, that he that loueth God, loue and his brother. CAP. V.

1   Eche man that bileueth, that Jhesus is Crist, is born of God; and eche man that loueth him that gendrith, loueth him that is born of him. 2   In this thing we knowen, for we louen the children of God, whan we louen God, and don his maundementes. 3   Sotheli this is charite of God, that we kepe his maundementes; and his maundementes ben not greuouse. 4   For al thing that is born of God, ouercometh the world; and this is the victorie that ouercometh the world, oure feith. 5   `Forsothe who is it that ouercometh the world, no but he that bileueth for Jhesus is the sone of

God? 6   This is Jhesu Crist, that cam bi watir and blood; not in watir onely, but in watir and blood. And the spirit is he that witnessith, for Crist is treuthe. 7   For thre ben, that &yogh;iuen witnessing in heuen, the Fadir, the Word, `or Sone, and the Hooly Goost; and thes thre ben oon. 8   And thre ben, that &yogh;iuen witnessing in erthe, the spirit, watir, and blood; and thes thre ben oon. 9   If we receyuen witnessing of men, the witnessing of God is more; for this is the witnessing of God, that is more, for he witnesside of his sone. 10   He that bileueth in to the sone of God, hath the witnessing of God in him. He that bileueth not to the sone, makith him a li&yogh;er; for he bileueth not in the witnessinge, that God witnesside `of his sone. 11   This is the witnessing, for God &yogh;af to us euerelasting lijf, and this lijf is in his sone. 12   He that hath the sone, hath and lijf; he that hath not the sone of God, hath not lijf. 13   I wrijte to &yogh;ou thes thinges, that &yogh;e wite, for &yogh;e han euerelastyng lijf, the whiche bileuen in the name of Goddis sone. 14   And this is the trist that we han to God, for what euere thing we shulen axe up his wille, he shal here us. 15   And we witen, for he herith us, what euer thing we shulen axe; we witen, for we han the axynges, whiche we axen of him. 16   He that woot his brother for to synne a synne not to the deeth, axe he, and lijf shal be &yogh;ouun to him, `synnynge not to the deeth. Ther is a synne to deeth; not for it I seie, that ony man preye. 17   Eche wickidnesse is synne, and there is synne to deeth. 18   We witen, for ech man that is born of God, synneth not; but the generacioun of God kepith him, and the wickid touchith him not. 19   We witen, for we ben of God, and al the

world is put in wickid. 20   And we witen, for the sone of God cam, `and clothide flesch for cause of us, and suffride, and roos a&yogh;en fro deede men, and toke us to, and &yogh;af to us wit, that we knowe verrey God, and be in the verrey sone of him. This is verrey God, and euerelastyng lijf. 21   Litel sones, kepe &yogh;e &yogh;ou fro simulacris, `or coueytise. Here endith the first pistle of Joon, and now bigynneth the secounde.

Previous section

Next section