Johan 3
1 Te vaengah Pharisee khuikah hlang pakhat, a ming ah Nikodemu, Judah rhoek kah boei te om.
There was a man named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish religious council. He belonged to the Pharisee [religious sect].
2 Anih loh khoyin ah a taengla a paan tih, “Rhabbi, Pathen taeng lamkah aka pawk saya pakhat la kam ming uh, Pathen te a taengah om pawt atah miknoek na saii he saii ham coeng mahpawh,” a ti nah.
He went to see Jesus at night, [to talk to him about God’s kingdom]. He said to Jesus, “Teacher, [we believe that] you are a teacher who has come from God. [We believe this because] we know that someone could perform the miracles you are doing only if God were helping him.”
3 Jesuh loh anih te a doo tih, “Nang taengah rhep rhep kan thui, koep a cun hlang pawt loh Pathen kah ram te a hmuh ham coeng pawh,” a ti nah.
Jesus replied to him, “Listen to this carefully: Unless people are born again and [have a new life from God], they cannot even see the place where God rules [MET]!”
4 Nikodemu loh amah te, “Metlam patong la aka om hlang he a thang ham a coeng eh? Pabae la a manu bung khuila kun ham neh a thaang ham a coeng moenih?” a ti nah.
Then Nicodemus said to him, “(No one can be born when he is old!/How can anyone be born when he is old?) [RHQ] (There is no way he can enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time!/How can he enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time?) [RHQ]”
5 Jesuh loh, “Nang taengah rhep rhep kan thui, tui neh Mueihla kah a cun pawt te tah, Pathen kah ram khuiah a kun ham coeng pawh.
Jesus answered, “Note this: Being born naturally is not [enough]; people need to also be born [spiritually] by God’s Spirit. If that does not happen, they cannot experience God ruling [MET] [their lives].
6 Pumsa kah a cun tah pumsa la om tih Mueihla kah a cun tah mueihla la om van.
Humans give birth to humans. But those who are born [again] as a result of what [God’s] Spirit [does receive a new] spiritual [nature from God].
7 Nang taengah kan thui te ngaihmang sak boeh, nangmih he koep cun ham a kuek.
Do not be surprised about my telling you that you must be born again [and have a new life from God].
8 Khohli loh a ngaih la hli tih a ol te na yaak. Tedae me lamkah ha pawk tih mela a caeh khaw na ming moenih. Mueihla kah a cun khaw te tlam ni boeih a om,” a ti nah.
[Let me illustrate]: The wind blows wherever it wants to blow. You hear its sound, but you do not know where the wind comes from or where it is going. Similarly, those [who do not know God cannot understand/control/predict] how people are born again as a result of what God’s spirit [does].”
9 Nikodemu loh a doo tih, “He tla om thai aya?” a ti nah.
Nicodemus replied to him, “How can that happen?”
10 Jesuh loh anih te a doo tih, “Nang tah Israel kah saya la na om coeng dae he khaw na ming mahnim?
Jesus replied to him, “You [(sg)] are a [well-known] teacher among [us] Israelite people, so (I am surprised that you do not understand these things!/how is it that you do not understand these things?) [RHQ]
11 Nang taengah rhep rhep kan thui, m'ming te n'thui tih m'hmuh te ni m'phong. Tedae kaimih kah olphong te na ming uh moenih.
Listen to this carefully: (My disciples and I/I) tell you [(pl)] about the things that my disciples and I have seen and know [are true], but you [(pl)] do not admit that what my disciples and I are saying [is true].
12 Nangmih taengah diklai koe ka thui vaengah na tangnah uh pawt atah nangmih taengah vaan koe te ka thui koinih metlam na tangnah uh eh?
I have told you about the things [that happen here] on earth that are true, but you [(pl)] do not believe me. So if I tell you [(sg)] about things [that happen] in heaven, (you certainly will not believe me!/how will you believe me?) [RHQ]
13 Te dongah vaan lamkah aka rhum hlang capa pawt koinih vaan la luei uh mahpawh.
I am the only one who has gone up to heaven; no one else has gone up there. I am also the one who came down from heaven. [So I know what happens there].
14 Moses loh khosoek ah rhul a tai bangla hlang capa khaw tai ham a kuek van.
[Long ago when the Israelite people rebelled against God] in the desolate area, [God sent poisonous snakes to bite them]. But when Moses lifted up [on a pole] the [model of a] poisonous snake, [everyone who looked at that model was healed from their snake bites]. Similarly, [even though I] am the one who came from heaven, [some day people] will lift me up [on a cross to kill me].
As a result, everyone who believes/trusts in me will have eternal life.” (aiōnios g166)
16 Pathen loh diklai a lungnah tangloeng tih khueh duen capa te a paek. Amah aka tangnah boeih tah poci pawt vetih dungyan hingnah a dang ni. (aiōnios g166)
God loved us people [MTY] in the world so much that he gave his only Son [as a sacrifice for us], in order that everyone who believes in him would not be separated from God forever. Instead, they would have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
17 Pathen loh diklai te laitloek thil hamla diklai ah capa a tueih moenih. Tedae anih lamloh diklai te khang ham ni a tueih.
When God sent his Son into the world, his purpose was not to punish the [people in] [MTY] the world for their sins. Instead, he sent him in order that they might be saved by him {he might save them} [from being] ([guilty/punished]) [for their sins].
18 Amah aka tangnah tah laitloek thil mahpawh, tedae aka tangnah pawt tah Pathen capa khueh duen ming te a tangnah pawt dongah a tangtae la lai a tloek thil coeng.
Everyone who trusts in his Son, [God says that they] will not be punished {that he will not punish them}. But God has already [said that] everyone who does not trust in his Son will be punished {that he will punish everyone who does not trust in his Son}, because they have not trusted in what his only Son [has done for them].
19 Laitloeknah he om ngawn coeng. Vangnah tah diklai la ha pawk coeng dae hlang rhoek loh a khoboe thae a khueh dongah vangnah lakah yinnah te lat a lungnah uh.
The [one who was like a] light [MET] [to reveal God’s truth to us] came into the world. But people loved doing what was [evil, like] darkness [MET] [is evil], instead of loving the [one who was like a] light. That is the reason [God will] judge people [and condemn them].
20 A thae la aka khoboe boeih loh vangnah te a hmuhuet tih a khoboe te a toeltham pawt ham ni vangnah khuila ha pawk pawh.
Everyone who does what is evil hates the [one who is like a] light, and they will not come to the [one who is like a] light, because it would be shown {[the one who is like a light] would show} that their deeds [are evil, and he would rebuke them].
21 Oltak aka saii tah vangnah khuila ha pawk. Te daengah ni Pathen ming neh a saii a bitat te a phoe sak eh,” a ti nah.
But those who live according to [God’s] truth come to the [one who is like a] light, in order that it may be seen clearly {that people may see clearly} that the things they have done, they did them because [they have depended] on God.
22 He phoeiah Jesuh tah a hnukbang rhoek neh Judah kho la pawk. Te vaengah amih taengah tapkhoeh om tih a nuem.
Some time later Jesus and we disciples went to Judea district. He stayed with us there and [directed us as we] baptized people.
23 Salim Johan long khaw Salim kaep kah Aenon ah om tih a nuem. Tui khaw muep a om tapkhoeh dongah ha pawk uh vaengah a nuem uh.
John [the Baptizer] was also baptizing people. He was doing that at Aenon [village] near Salim [town in Samaria district], because there were many springs in that area. [Many] people kept coming [to John] and were being baptized {he was baptizing them}.
24 Johan te thongim ah hlak la a om hlan dongah ni.
That happened before John was put {they put John} in prison.
25 Te phoeiah Johan kah hnukbang rhoek te Judah hoel neh cimcaihnah kawng olpungnah om.
Then some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew started arguing about the Jewish rituals of washing things [to make them acceptable to God].
26 Te dongah Johan te a paan uh tih, “Rhabbi, anih ke Jordan rhalvangan la nang taengah om tih, a kawng na phong dae ta. Anih loh a nuem dongah a taengla boeih ha pawk uh coeng ke,” a ti na uh.
Then those disciples went to John and said to him, “Teacher, [do you remember] the man who was with you when you were baptizing people on the other side of the Jordan River? He is the one you were telling us about. Well, now he is baptizing people, and many people are going to him [instead of coming to us]!”
27 Johan loh a doo tih, “Anih te vaan lamloh paek la om pawt koinih hlang loh pakhat khaw a dang thai moenih,” a ti nah.
John replied, “A person can become [important] only if God [MTY] permits it. [So] we [should not be jealous about Jesus being popular]!
28 Nangmih loh kai taengah na phong uh te, ‘Kai tah Khrih moenih, tedae a hmaikah a tueih te ni,’ ka ti.
You yourselves can verify what I said. I told you that I am not (the Messiah/God’s promised king). Instead, I [told you that] I was sent {that [God] sent me} to prepare the way for him.
29 Yulokung loh vasakung te a khueh la om dae yulokung kah paya long tah khueh pawh. Aka pai tih aka hnatun loh yulokung kah ol dongah omngaihnah neh omngaih. Te dongah ka omngaihnah tah soep coeng.
[Let me illustrate] [MET]: [He is like a] ([bridegroom/man who is being married]), [and I am like his friend]. The friend of the bridegroom stands there and waits [for him to come]. That friend is very happy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice [when he arrives]. Similarly, I am very happy [about what you have told me].
30 Anih te a rhoeng mak atah, ka tlak khaw a kuek mai coeng.
It is necessary for Jesus to become more important [by making more disciples than I have], and for me to become less [important].”
31 A so lamkah aka pawk tah hlang boeih soah om. Diklai ah aka om tah diklai kah la om tih diklai lamkah te a thui. Vaan lamkah aka pawk tah a soah boeih om.
[Jesus] came from heaven. He is more important than anyone else. Those who are born from [parents here] on earth [MTY] are just humans, and they speak about things [that happen here] on the earth. But since Jesus came from heaven, his [words are] more important than anyone else’s.
32 A hmuh neh a yaak te a phong. Tedae anih kah olphong te doe uh pawh.
He tells people what he has seen and what he heard [in heaven], but very few people [HYP] listen to what he says.
33 Anih kah olphong aka doe loh Pathen tah oltak ni tila kutnoek a daeng coeng.
Those who have accepted what he has said verify that what God has said is true.
34 Anih te Pathen loh a tueih dongah Pathen kah olthang ni a thui. Mueihla a paek te khaw a tarhing a khueh pah moenih.
[We know it is true] because [Jesus], the one God sent, speaks the message of God. [That is also true] because God causes his Spirit to live [in Jesus] to completely [direct everything he says and does].
35 Pa loh capa te a lungnah dongah a cungkuem he a kut ah a paek.
God loves his Son, and has caused him to have control/power over everything.
36 Capa aka tangnah loh dungyan hingnah a khueh. Tedae capa ol aka aek tah hingnah hmu pawt tih anih loh Pathen kah kosi a rhaeh thil. (aiōnios g166)
Those who trust in [God’s] Son have eternal life. But those who reject God’s Son will never have [eternal] life. Instead, God is angry with them [and he will surely punish them]. (aiōnios g166)
