| New King James Version | International Standard Version |
| 1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. | 1Dear friends, stop believing every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. |
| 2By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, | 2This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: Every spirit who acknowledges that Jesus the Messiah has become human—and remains so—is from God. |
| 3and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. | 3But every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist. You have heard that he is coming, and now he is already in the world. |
| 4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. | 4Little children, you belong to God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. |
| 5They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. | 5These people belong to the world. That is why they speak from the world's perspective, and the world listens to them. |
| 6We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. | 6We belong to God. The person who knows God listens to us. Whoever does not belong to God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit. |
| 7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. | 7Dear friends, let us continuously love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. |
| 8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. | 8The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love. |
| 9In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. | 9This is how God's love was revealed among us: God sent his unique Son into the world so that we might live through him. |
| 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. | 10This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. |
| 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. | 11Dear friends, if this is the way God loved us, we must also love one another. |
| 12No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. | 12No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. |
| 13By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. | 13This is how we know that we abide in him and he in us: he has given us his Spirit. |
| 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. | 14We have seen for ourselves and can testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. |
| 15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. | 15God abides in the one who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, and he abides in God. |
| 16And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. | 16We have come to know and rely on the love that God has for us. God is love, and the person who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. |
| 17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. | 17This is how love has been perfected among us: we will have confidence on the day of judgment because, during our time in this world, we are just like him. |
| 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. | 18There is no fear where love exists. Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love. |
| 19We love Him because He first loved us. | 19We love because God first loved us. |
| 20If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? | 20Whoever says, "I love God," but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen. |
| 21And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. | 21And this is the commandment that we have from him: the person who loves God must also love his brother. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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