1 John 3

1 See ye what love the Father hath given to us, that children of God we may be called; because of this the world doth not know us, because it did not know Him;

See what marvellous love the Father has bestowed upon us--that we should be called God's children: and that is what we are. For this reason the world does not recognize us--because it has not known Him.

2 beloved, now, children of God are we, and it was not yet manifested what we shall be, and we have known that if he may be manifested, like him we shall be, because we shall see him as he is;

Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been fully revealed. We know that if Christ reappears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.

3 and every one who is having this hope on him, doth purify himself, even as he is pure.

And every man who has this hope fixed on Him, purifies himself so as to be as pure as He is.

4 Every one who is doing the sin, the lawlessness also he doth do, and the sin is the lawlessness,

Every one who is guilty of sin is also guilty of violating Law; for sin is the violation of Law.

5 and ye have known that he was manifested that our sins he may take away, and sin is not in him;

And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

6 every one who is remaining in him doth not sin; every one who is sinning, hath not seen him, nor known him.

No one who continues in union with Him lives in sin: no one who lives in sin has seen Him or knows Him.

7 Little children, let no one lead you astray; he who is doing the righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous,

Dear children, let no one lead you astray. The man who acts righteously is righteous, just as He is righteous.

8 he who is doing the sin, of the devil he is, because from the beginning the devil doth sin; for this was the Son of God manifested, that he may break up the works of the devil;

He who is habitually guilty of sin is a child of the Devil, because the Devil has been a sinner from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for the purpose of undoing the work of the Devil.

9 every one who hath been begotten of God, sin he doth not, because his seed in him doth remain, and he is not able to sin, because of God he hath been begotten.

No one who is a child of God is habitually guilty of sin. A God-given germ of life remains in him, and he cannot habitually sin--because he is a child of God.

10 In this manifest are the children of God, and the children of the devil; every one who is not doing righteousness, is not of God, and he who is not loving his brother,

By this we can distinguish God's children and the Devil's children: no one who fails to act righteously is a child of God, nor he who does not love his brother man.

11 because this is the message that ye did hear from the beginning, that we may love one another,

For this is the Message you have heard from the beginning--that we are to love one another.

12 not as Cain — of the evil one he was, and he did slay his brother, and wherefore did he slay him? because his works were evil, and those of his brother righteous.

We are not to resemble Cain, who was a child of the Evil one and killed his own brother. And why did he kill him? Because his own actions were wicked and his brother's actions righteous.

13 Do not wonder, my brethren, if the world doth hate you;

Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.

14 we — we have known that we have passed out of the death to the life, because we love the brethren; he who is not loving the brother doth remain in the death.

As for us, we know that we have already passed out of death into Life--because we love our brother men. He who is destitute of love continues dead.

15 Every one who is hating his brother — a man-killer he is, and ye have known that no man-killer hath life age-during in him remaining, (aiōnios g166)

Every one who hates his brother man is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has the Life of the Ages continuing in him. (aiōnios g166)

16 in this we have known the love, because he for us his life did lay down, and we ought for the brethren the lives to lay down;

We know what love is--through Christ's having laid down His life on our behalf; and in the same way we ought to lay down our lives for our brother men.

17 and whoever may have the goods of the world, and may view his brother having need, and may shut up his bowels from him — how doth the love of God remain in him?

But if any one has this world's wealth and sees that his brother man is in need, and yet hardens his heart against him--how can such a one continue to love God?

18 My little children, may we not love in word nor in tongue, but in word and in truth!

Dear children, let us not love in words only nor with the lips, but in deed and in truth.

19 and in this we know that of the truth we are, and before Him we shall assure our hearts,

And in this way we shall come to know that we are loyal to the truth, and shall satisfy our consciences in His presence

20 because if our heart may condemn — because greater is God than our heart, and He doth know all things.

in whatever matters our hearts condemn us--because God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.

21 Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God,

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have perfect confidence towards God;

22 and whatever we may ask, we receive from Him, because His commands we keep, and the things pleasing before Him we do,

and whatever we ask for we obtain from Him, because we obey His commands and do the things which are pleasing in His sight.

23 and this is His command, that we may believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and may love one another, even as He did give command to us,

And this is His command--that we are to believe in His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us to do.

24 and he who is keeping His commands, in Him he doth remain, and He in him; and in this we know that He doth remain in us, from the Spirit that He gave us.

The man who obeys His commands continues in union with God, and God continues in union with him; and through His Spirit whom He has given us we can know that He continues in union with us.