1 John, 3

1. You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God's children -- which is what we are! The reason why the world does not acknowledge us is that it did not acknowledge him.

1. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

2. My dear friends, we are already God's children, but what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed. We are well aware that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.

2. Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

3. Whoever treasures this hope of him purifies himself, to be as pure as he is.

3. And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

4. Whoever sins, acts wickedly, because all sin is wickedness.

4. Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

5. Now you are well aware that he has appeared in order to take sins away, and that in him there is no sin.

5. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

6. No one who remains in him sins, and whoever sins has neither seen him nor recognised him.

6. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.

7. Children, do not let anyone lead you astray. Whoever acts uprightly is upright, just as he is upright.

7. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous.

8. Whoever lives sinfully belongs to the devil, since the devil has been a sinner from the beginning. This was the purpose of the appearing of the Son of God, to undo the work of the devil.

8. He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

9. No one who is a child of God sins because God's seed remains in him. Nor can he sin, because he is a child of God.

9. No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.

10. This is what distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil: whoever does not live uprightly and does not love his brother is not from God.

10. By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.

11. This is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we must love one another,

11. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,

12. not to be like Cain, who was from the Evil One and murdered his brother. And why did he murder his brother? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's upright.

12. and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.

13. Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

13. Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you.

14. We are well aware that we have passed over from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love, remains in death.

14. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

15. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you are well aware that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.

15. Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16. This is the proof of love, that he laid down his life for us, and we too ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

16. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17. If anyone is well-off in worldly possessions and sees his brother in need but closes his heart to him, how can the love of God be remaining in him?

17. But if any one has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

18. Children, our love must be not just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine.

18. Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.

19. This will be the proof that we belong to the truth, and it will convince us in his presence,

19. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him

20. even if our own feelings condemn us, that God is greater than our feelings and knows all things.

20. whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21. My dear friends, if our own feelings do not condemn us, we can be fearless before God,

21. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

22. and whatever we ask we shall receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is acceptable to him.

22. and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

23. His commandment is this, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we should love one another as he commanded us.

23. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

24. Whoever keeps his commandments remains in God, and God in him. And this is the proof that he remains in us: the Spirit that he has given us.

24. All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.