| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1See what kind of love the Father has given us: We are called God's children—and that is what we are! For this reason the world does not recognize us, because it did not recognize him, either. | 1(See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God's children--and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know him. |
| 2Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when the Messiah is revealed, we will be like him, because 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 whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. |
| 3And everyone who has this hope based on him keeps himself pure, just as the Messiah is pure. | 3And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure). |
| 4Everyone who keeps living in sin also practices disobedience. In fact, sin is disobedience. | 4Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness. |
| 5You know that the Messiah was revealed to take away sins, and there is not any sin in him. | 5And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. |
| 6No one who remains in union with him keeps on sinning. The one who keeps on sinning hasn't seen him or known him. | 6Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him. |
| 7Little children, don't let anyone deceive you. The person who practices righteousness is righteous, just as the Messiah is righteous. | 7Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous. |
| 8The person who practices sin belongs to the evil one, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason that the Son of God was revealed was to destroy what the devil has been doing. | 8The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. |
| 9No one who has been born from God practices sin, because God's seed abides in him. Indeed, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born from God. | 9Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God's seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. |
| 10This is how God's children and the devil's children are distinguished. No person who fails to practice righteousness and to love his brother is from God. | 10By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness--the one who does not love his fellow Christian--is not of God. |
| 11This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. | 11For this is the gospel message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another, |
| 12Do not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because what he was doing was evil and his brother's actions were righteous. | 12not like Cain who was of the evil one and brutally murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's were righteous. |
| 13So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. | 13Therefore do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. |
| 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love remains spiritually dead. | 14We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death. |
| 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him. | 15Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. |
| 16This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers. | 16We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. |
| 17Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God be present in him? | 17But whoever has the world's possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? |
| 18Little children, we must stop expressing love merely by our words and manner of speech; we must love also in action and in truth. | 18Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. |
| 19This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to keep ourselves strong in his presence. | 19And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence, |
| 20If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. | 20that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things. |
| 21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God. | 21Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God, |
| 22Whatever we request we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. | 22and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him. |
| 23And this is his commandment: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus the Messiah, and to love one another as he commanded us. | 23Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment. |
| 24The person who keeps his commandments abides in God, and God abides in him. This is how we can be sure that he remains in us: he has given us his Spirit. | 24And the person who keeps his commandments resides in God, and God in him. Now by this we know that God resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us. |
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