| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. | 1Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know Him. |
| 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. | 2Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. |
| 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. | 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure. |
| 4Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. | 4Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law. |
| 5And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. | 5You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, and there is no sin in Him. |
| 6Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. | 6Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him. |
| 7Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. | 7Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. |
| 8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. | 8The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil's works. |
| 9Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. | 9Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because His seed remains in him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. |
| 10In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. | 10This is how God's children--and the Devil's children--are made evident. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother. |
| 11For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, | 11For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, |
| 12not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. | 12unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's were righteous. |
| 13Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. | 13Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. |
| 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. | 14We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. |
| 15Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. | 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. |
| 16By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. | 16This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. |
| 17But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? | 17If anyone has this world's goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need--how can God's love reside in him? |
| 18My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. | 18Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. |
| 19And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. | 19This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence, |
| 20For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. | 20even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things. |
| 21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. | 21Dear friends, if our conscience doesn't condemn us, we have confidence before God |
| 22And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. | 22and can receive whatever we ask from Him because we keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight. |
| 23And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. | 23Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. |
| 24Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. | 24The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us is from the Spirit He has given us. |
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