1 See what kind of hlove the Father has given to us, that we should be called ichildren of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that jit did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that kwhen he appears1 we shall be llike him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to mtake away sins, and nin him there is no sin. 6 oNo one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either pseen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one qdeceive you. rWhoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to sdestroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s2 seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Love One Another
11 For tthis is the message uthat you have heard from the beginning, that we should vlove one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and wmurdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s xrighteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,3 that the world yhates you. 14 We know that we have zpassed out of death into life, abecause we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 bEveryone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 cBy this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But dif anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide ein him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are fof the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and gwhatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and hdo what pleases him. 23 And ithis is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and jlove one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 kWhoever keeps his commandments abides in God,4 and God5 in him. lAnd by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Test the Spirits
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but mtest the spirits to see whether they are from God, for nmany false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come oin the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the pantichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world qalready. 4 Little children, ryou are from God and shave overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 tThey are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. uWhoever vknows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the wSpirit of truth and the xspirit of error.
God Is Love
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been yborn of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 zIn this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the apropitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to blove one another. 12 cNo one has ever seen God; if we love one another, dGod abides in us and his love is eperfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, fbecause he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and gtestify that the Father has sent his Son to be hthe Savior of the world. 15 iWhoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have jconfidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, k“I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a lliar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot6 love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
1 Of David.
1 xFret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not yenvious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade zlike the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 aTrust in the Lord, and bdo good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.2
4 cDelight yourself in the Lord,
and he will dgive you the desires of your heart.
5 eCommit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness fas the light,
and your justice as the gnoonday.
7 hBe still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 iRefrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
jthough you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But kthe meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord llaughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 mBetter is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be nbroken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
oin the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like psmoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord3 shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 qThe steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he rdelights in his way;
24 sthough he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet tI have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever ulending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 vTurn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30 wThe mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not xslip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
yyou will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 zI have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.4
36 aBut he passed away,5 and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
