| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. | 1See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. |
| 2Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. | 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. |
| 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. | 3All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. |
| 4Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. | 4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. |
| 5You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. | 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. |
| 6No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. | 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. |
| 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. | 7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. |
| 8Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. | 8The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. |
| 9No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. | 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. |
| 10By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. | 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. |
| 11For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. | 11For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. |
| 12We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. | 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. |
| 13Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. | 13Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. |
| 14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. | 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. |
| 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. | 15Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. |
| 16By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. | 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. |
| 17But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? | 17If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? |
| 18Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. | 18Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. |
| 19By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; | 19This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: |
| 20for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. | 20If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. |
| 21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; | 21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God |
| 22and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. | 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. |
| 23And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. | 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. |
| 24Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. | 24The one who keeps God's commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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