Overcoming the World

5 Whoever believes that Jesus is the ^[a]Christ is ^[b]born of God, and whoever loves the ^[c]Father loves the child ^[d]born of Him. ² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and ^[e]observe His commandments. ³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For whatever is ^[f]born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

⁵ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶ This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not ^[g]with the water only, but ^[h]with the water and ^[i]with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are three that testify: ^8 [j]the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are ^[k]in agreement. ⁹ If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. ¹⁰ The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. ¹¹ And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

This Is Written That You May Know

¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴ This is the confidence which we have ^[l]before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother ^[m]committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and ^[n]God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. ¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

¹⁸ We know that no one who is ^[o]born of God sins; but He who was ^[p]born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. ¹⁹ We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

²¹ Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Jerusalem’s Desolation Foretold

5 “As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword; take and ^[a]use it as a barber’s razor on your head and beard. Then take scales for weighing and divide ^[b]the hair. ² One third you shall burn in the fire at the center of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take one third and strike it with the sword all around ^[c]the city, and one third you shall scatter to the wind; and I will unsheathe a sword behind them. ³ Take also a few in number from ^[d]them and bind them in the edges of your robes. ⁴ Take again some of them and throw them into the fire and burn them in the fire; from it a fire will ^[e]spread to all the house of Israel.

⁵ “Thus says the Lord ^[f]God, ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her at the center of the nations, with lands around her. ⁶ But she has rebelled against My ordinances more wickedly than the nations and against My statutes more than the lands which surround her; for they have rejected My ordinances and have not walked ^[g]in My statutes.’ ⁷ Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have more turmoil than the nations which surround you and have not walked in My statutes, nor observed My ordinances, nor observed the ordinances of the nations which surround you,’ ⁸ therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I, even I, am against you, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations. ⁹ And because of all your abominations, I will do among you what I have not done, and the like of which I will never do again. ¹⁰ Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind. ¹¹ So as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, therefore I will also withdraw, and My eye will have no pity and I will not spare. ¹² One third of you will die by plague or be consumed by famine among you, one third will fall by the sword around you, and one third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.

¹³ ‘Thus My anger will be spent and I will ^[h]satisfy My wrath on them, and I will be ^[i]appeased; then they will know that I, the Lord, have spoken in My zeal when I have spent My wrath upon them. ¹⁴ Moreover, I will make you a desolation and a reproach among the nations which surround you, in the sight of all who pass by. ¹⁵ So ^[j]it will be a reproach, a reviling, a warning and an object of horror to the nations who surround you when I execute judgments against you in anger, wrath and raging rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken. ¹⁶ When I send against them the ^[k]deadly arrows of famine which ^[l]were for the destruction of those whom I will send to destroy you, then I will also intensify the famine upon you and break the staff of bread. ¹⁷ Moreover, I will send on you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you of children; plague and bloodshed also will pass through you, and I will bring the sword on you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”