| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born from God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves the child. | 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him. |
| 2This is how we know that we love God's children: we love God and keep his commandments. | 2By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments. |
| 3For this demonstrates our love for God: We keep his commandments, and his commandments are not difficult, | 3For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments do not weigh us down, |
| 4because everyone who is born from God has overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world. | 4because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. Testimony About the Son This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith. |
| 5Who overcomes the world? Is it not the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? | 5Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? |
| 6This man, Jesus the Messiah, is the one who came by water and blood—not with water only, but with water and with blood. The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth. | 6Jesus Christ is the one who came by water and blood--not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. |
| 7For there are three witnesses — | 7For there are three that testify, |
| 8the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are one. | 8the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three are in agreement. |
| 9If we accept human testimony, God's testimony is greater, because it is the testimony of God and because he has testified about his Son. | 9If we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son. |
| 10The person who believes in the Son of God believes this testimony personally. The person who does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony that he has given about his Son. | 10(The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning his Son.) |
| 11This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son. | 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. |
| 12The person who has the Son has this life. The person who does not have the Son of God does not have this life. | 12The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life. |
| 13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. | 13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. |
| 14And this is the confidence that we have in him: if we ask for anything according to his will, he listens to us. | 14And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. |
| 15And if we know that he listens to our requests, we can be sure that we have what we ask him for. | 15And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him. |
| 16If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray that God would give him life. This applies to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not telling you to pray about that. | 16If anyone sees his fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death, he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death. There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he should ask about that. |
| 17Every kind of wrongdoing is sin, yet there are sins that do not lead to death. | 17All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death. |
| 18We know that the person who has been born from God does not go on sinning. Rather, the Son of God protects them, and the evil one cannot harm them. | 18We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, but God protects the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him. |
| 19We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies under the control of the evil one. | 19We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. |
| 20We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God. We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus the Messiah, who is the true God and eternal life. | 20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life. |
| 21Little children, keep yourselves away from idols. Greetings from John | 21Little children, guard yourselves from idols. |
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