3:1 请看父赐给我们何等的爱情，使我们得称为天主的子女，而且我们也真是如此。世界所以不认识我们，是因为不认识父。
See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 3:2 可爱的诸位，现在我们是天主的子女，但我们将来如何，还没有显明；可是我们知道：一显明了，我们必要相似他，因为我们要看见他实在怎样。
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3:3 所以，凡对他怀着这希望的，必圣洁自己，就如那一位是圣洁的一样。
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. 3:4 凡是犯罪的，也就是作违法的事，因为罪过就是违法。
Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. 3:5 你们也知道，那一位曾显示出来，是为除免罪过，在他身上并没有罪过。
You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 3:6 凡存在他内的，就不犯罪过；凡犯罪过的，是没有看见过他，也没有认识过他。
No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him. 3:7 孩子们，万不要让人迷惑你们！那行正义的，就是正义的人，正如那一位是正义的一样。
Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. 3:8 那犯罪的，是属于魔鬼，因为魔鬼从起初就犯罪：天主子所以显现出来，是为消灭魔鬼的作为。
Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil. 3:9 凡由天主生的，就不犯罪过，因为天主的种子存留在他内，他不能犯罪，因为他是由天主生的。
No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. 3:10 天主的子女和魔鬼的子女在这事上可以认出：就是凡不行正义的和不爱自己弟兄的，就不是出于天主。
In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother. 3:11 原来你们从起初所听的训令就是：我们应彼此相爱；
For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, 3:12 不可像那属于恶者和杀害自己兄弟的加音。加音究竟为什么杀了他？因为他自己的行为是邪恶的，而他兄弟的行为是正义的。
unlike Cain who belonged to the evil one and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous. 3:13 弟兄们，如果世界恼恨你们，不必惊奇。
Do not be amazed, (then,) brothers, if the world hates you. 3:14 我们知道，我们已出死入生了，因为我们爱弟兄们；那不爱的，就存在死亡内。
We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death. 3:15 凡恼恨自己弟兄的，便是杀人的；你们也知道：凡杀人的，便没有永远的生命存在他内。
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. 3:16 我们所以认识了爱，因为那一位为我们舍弃了自己的生命，我们也应当为弟兄们舍弃生命。
The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 3:17 谁若有今世的财物，看见自己的弟兄有急难，却对他关闭自己怜悯的心肠，天主的爱怎能存在他内？
If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? 3:18 孩子们，我们爱，不可只用言语，也不可只用口舌，而要用行动和事实。
Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. 3:19 在这一点上我们可以认出，我们是出于真理的，并且在他面前可以安心；
(Now) this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him 3:20 纵然我们的心责备我们，我们还可以安心，因为天主比我们的心大，他原知道一切。
in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 3:21 可爱的诸位，假使我们的心不责备我们，在天主前便可放心大胆；
Beloved, if (our) hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God 3:22 那么我们无论求什么，必由他获得，因为我们遵守了他的命令，行了他所喜悦的事。
and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 3:23 他的命令就是叫我们信他的子耶稣基督的名字，并按照他给我们所出的命令，彼此相爱。
And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. 3:24 那遵守他命令的，就住在他内，天主也住在这人内。我们所以知道他住在我们内，是借他赐给我们的圣神。
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us.