| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. | 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born from God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves the child. |
| 2This is how we know that we love God's children when we love God and obey His commands. | 2This is how we know that we love God's children: we love God and keep his commandments. |
| 3For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, | 3For this demonstrates our love for God: We keep his commandments, and his commandments are not difficult, |
| 4because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. | 4because everyone who is born from God has overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world. |
| 5And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? | 5Who overcomes the world? Is it not the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? |
| 6Jesus Christ--He is the One who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. | 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. |
| 7For there are three that testify: | 7For there are three witnesses — |
| 8the Spirit, the water, and the blood--and these three are in agreement. | 8the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are one. |
| 9If we accept the testimony of men, God's testimony is greater, because it is God's testimony that He has given about His Son. | 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. |
| 10(The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about 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. |
| 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. | 11This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son. |
| 12The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn't have the Son of God does not have life. | 12The person who has the Son has this life. The person who does not have the Son of God does not have this 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. |
| 14Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. | 14And this is the confidence that we have in him: if we ask for anything according to his will, he listens to us. |
| 15And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for. | 15And if we know that he listens to our requests, we can be sure that we have what we ask him for. |
| 16If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him--to those who commit sin that doesn't bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that. | 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. |
| 17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that does not bring death. | 17Every kind of wrongdoing is sin, yet there are sins that do not lead to death. |
| 18We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. | 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. |
| 19We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. | 19We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies under the control of the evil one. |
| 20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. We are in the true One--that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. | 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. |
| 21Little children, guard yourselves from idols. | 21Little children, keep yourselves away from idols. Greetings from John |
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