Evening Devotion

A Song of Ascents.
¹ Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
² Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!
³ May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth! (ESV)

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
¹ O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you.
² Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!
³ For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
⁴ I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength,
⁵ like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
⁶ You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep.
⁷ Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
⁸ You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
⁹ my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.
¹⁰ Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
¹¹ Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
¹² Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
¹³ But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
¹⁴ O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?
¹⁵ Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
¹⁶ Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me.
¹⁷ They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together.
¹⁸ You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness. (ESV)

¹ Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!
² Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
³ Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
⁴ For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
⁵ Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
⁶ Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
⁷ to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples,
⁸ to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,
⁹ to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the LORD!

¹ Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!
² Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
³ Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
⁴ Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
⁵ Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! (ESV)

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
³⁰ So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?
³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
³³ For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
³⁴ They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (ESV)

¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.
² But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs.
³ The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.
⁴ The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’”
⁵ And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’”
⁶ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
⁷ But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
⁸ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”
⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.”
¹⁰ And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.
¹¹ The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.”
¹² So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh.
¹³ And the LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.
¹⁴ And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
¹⁶ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’”
¹⁷ And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
¹⁸ The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast.
¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
²⁰ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.
²¹ Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.
²² But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
²³ Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’”
²⁴ And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.
²⁵ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.”
²⁶ But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
²⁷ We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.”
²⁸ So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.”
²⁹ Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”
³⁰ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD.
³¹ And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.
³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go. (ESV)

¹ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
⁶ And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
⁷ Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
⁸ But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
¹⁰ And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;
¹¹ they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,
¹² like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
¹³ And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (ESV)

¹ After the plague, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest,
² “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.”
³ And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
⁴ “Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward,” as the LORD commanded Moses. The people of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were:
⁵ Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites;
⁶ of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites.
⁷ These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were 43,730.
⁸ And the sons of Pallu: Eliab.
⁹ The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the LORD
¹⁰ and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning.
¹¹ But the sons of Korah did not die.
¹² The sons of Simeon according to their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites;
¹³ of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites.
¹⁴ These are the clans of the Simeonites, 22,200.
¹⁵ The sons of Gad according to their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites;
¹⁶ of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites;
¹⁷ of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites.
¹⁸ These are the clans of the sons of Gad as they were listed, 40,500.
¹⁹ The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
²⁰ And the sons of Judah according to their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites.
²¹ And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites.
²² These are the clans of Judah as they were listed, 76,500.
²³ The sons of Issachar according to their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites;
²⁴ of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites.
²⁵ These are the clans of Issachar as they were listed, 64,300.
²⁶ The sons of Zebulun, according to their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites.
²⁷ These are the clans of the Zebulunites as they were listed, 60,500.
²⁸ The sons of Joseph according to their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim.
²⁹ The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the clan of the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites.
³⁰ These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites;
³¹ and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites;
³² and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites.
³³ Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
³⁴ These are the clans of Manasseh, and those listed were 52,700.
³⁵ These are the sons of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites.
³⁶ And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites.
³⁷ These are the clans of the sons of Ephraim as they were listed, 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their clans.
³⁸ The sons of Benjamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites;
³⁹ of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites.
⁴⁰ And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites.
⁴¹ These are the sons of Benjamin according to their clans, and those listed were 45,600.
⁴² These are the sons of Dan according to their clans: of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These are the clans of Dan according to their clans.
⁴³ All the clans of the Shuhamites, as they were listed, were 64,400.
⁴⁴ The sons of Asher according to their clans: of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites.
⁴⁵ Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites.
⁴⁶ And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.
⁴⁷ These are the clans of the sons of Asher as they were listed, 53,400.
⁴⁸ The sons of Naphtali according to their clans: of Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites;
⁴⁹ of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites.
⁵⁰ These are the clans of Naphtali according to their clans, and those listed were 45,400.
⁵¹ This was the list of the people of Israel, 601,730.
⁵² The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
⁵³ “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names.
⁵⁴ To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list.
⁵⁵ But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
⁵⁶ Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller.”
⁵⁷ This was the list of the Levites according to their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites.
⁵⁸ These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. And Kohath was the father of Amram.
⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.
⁶⁰ And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD.
⁶² And those listed were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward. For they were not listed among the people of Israel, because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.
⁶³ These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
⁶⁴ But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
⁶⁵ For the LORD had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

¹ Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
² And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying,
³ “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons.
⁴ Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
⁵ Moses brought their case before the LORD.
⁶ And the LORD said to Moses,
⁷ “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.
⁸ And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.
⁹ And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
¹⁰ And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.
¹¹ And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the LORD commanded Moses.’” (ESV)

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
³⁷ And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,
³⁸ and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
⁴² When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
⁴³ Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
⁴⁹ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (ESV)

¹² “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
¹³ The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
¹⁴ I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.
¹⁵ By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;
¹⁶ by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.
¹⁷ I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
¹⁸ Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.
¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.
²⁰ I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice,
²¹ granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. (ESV)

¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—
² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—
³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
⁴ And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

¹ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
² He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
⁴ Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
⁵ but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
⁶ whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
⁷ Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
⁸ At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
⁹ Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
¹¹ But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
¹² I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.
¹⁴ I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
¹⁷ And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
²⁰ But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.
²¹ I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
²² Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
²⁴ Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
²⁵ And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
²⁶ I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
²⁷ But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
²⁸ And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
²⁹ If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

¹ See what kind of love the Father has given to 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 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like 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 take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
⁶ No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever 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 destroy the works of the devil.
⁹ No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s 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.
¹¹ For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
¹² We should 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, that the world hates you.
¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
¹⁶ By 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 if anyone 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 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 of 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 whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
²³ And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
²⁴ Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many 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 in the flesh is from God,
³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
⁹ In 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 propitiation for our sins.
¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
¹³ By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
¹⁵ Whoever 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 confidence 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, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
²¹ And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (ESV)