John 3
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
Now there was among the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the rulers of the Jews.
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we are certain that you have come from God as a teacher, because no man would be able to do these signs which you do if God was not with him.
3 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God.
4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”
Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for a man to be given birth when he is old? Is he able to go into his mother's body a second time and come to birth again?
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man's birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God.
6 Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.
That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’
Do not be surprised that I say to you, It is necessary for you to have a second birth.
8 The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit.
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be?
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?
And Jesus, answering, said, Are you the teacher of Israel and have no knowledge of these things?
11 Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.
Truly, I say to you, We say that of which we have knowledge; we give witness of what we have seen; and you do not take our witness to be true.
12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven?
13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
And no one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of man.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
As the snake was lifted up by Moses in the waste land, even so it is necessary for the Son of man to be lifted up:
So that whoever has faith may have in him eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him.
18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God.
19 And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.
And this is the test by which men are judged: the light has come into the world and men have more love for the dark than for the light, because their acts are evil.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
The light is hated by everyone whose acts are evil and he does not come to the light for fear that his acts will be seen.
21 But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”
But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God.
22 After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.
After these things Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judaea, and there he was with them for some time, giving baptism.
23 Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.
Now John was then giving baptism at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were given baptism.
24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)
For at this time John had not been put into prison.
25 Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.
Then a question came up between John's disciples and a Jew about washing.
26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”
And they went to John and said to him, Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the man to whom you gave witness, is now giving baptism, and everyone is going to him.
27 John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
And this was John's answer: A man is unable to have anything if it is not given to him from heaven.
28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’
You yourselves give witness that I said, I am not the Christ. What I said was, I am sent before the Christ.
29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
He who has the bride is the husband: but the husband's friend, whose place is by his side and whose ears are open to him, is full of joy because of the husband's voice: such is my joy, and it is complete.
30 He must increase; I must decrease.
He has to become greater while I become less.
31 The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.
He who comes from heaven is greater than all others: he who comes from earth is of the earth, and of the earth are his words: he who comes from heaven is over all.
32 He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.
He gives witness of what he has seen and of what has come to his ears; and no man takes his witness as true.
33 Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.
He who so takes his witness has made clear his faith that God is true.
34 For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
For he whom God has sent says God's words; and God does not give him the Spirit by measure.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
The Father has love for the Son and has put all things into his hands.
