| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Behold what manner of love the Father has given to 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. | 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, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will 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 Christ is pure. | 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure. |
| 4Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness. | 4Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law. |
| 5But you know that Christ appeared to take away 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. |
| 6No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or 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: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. | 7Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. |
| 8The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to 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. |
| 9Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, 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. |
| 10By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone 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. |
| 11This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. | 11For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, |
| 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were 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. |
| 13So do not be surprised, brothers, 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 our brothers. The one who does not love remains 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. |
| 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer. | 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. |
| 16By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. | 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. |
| 17If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can 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? |
| 18Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. | 18Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. |
| 19And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: | 19This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence, |
| 20Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things. | 20even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things. |
| 21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, | 21Dear friends, if our conscience doesn't condemn us, we have confidence before God |
| 22and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is 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 in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us. | 23Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. |
| 24Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit 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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