John 3
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a leading man among his people.
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.”
This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one could give such signs as you are giving, unless God were with him.’
3 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
‘In truth I tell you,’ exclaimed Jesus, ‘unless a person is reborn, they cannot 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?”
‘How can a person,’ asked Nicodemus, ‘be born when they are old? Can they be born a second time?’
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.
‘In truth I tell you,’ answered Jesus, ‘unless a person owes their birth to water and Spirit, they cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.
All that owes its birth to human nature is human, and all that owes its birth to the Spirit is spiritual.
7 Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’
Do not wonder at my telling you that you all need to be reborn.
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 blows wherever it wants, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from, or where it goes; it is the same with everyone who owes his birth to the Spirit.’
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
‘How can that be?’ asked Nicodemus.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?
‘What! You a teacher of Israel,’ exclaimed Jesus, ‘and yet do not understand this!
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.
In truth I tell you that we speak of what we know, and state what we have seen; and yet you do not accept our statements.
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, when I tell you earthly things, you do not believe me, how will you believe me when I tell you of heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
No one has ascended to heaven, except him who descended from heaven – the Son of Man himself.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
And, as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
so that everyone who believes in him may have 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 so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost, 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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved 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 person who believes in him escapes condemnation, while the person who does not believe in him is already condemned, because they have not believed in 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.
The ground of their condemnation is this, that though the light has come into the world, people preferred the darkness to the light, because their actions were wicked.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
For the person who lives an evil life hates the light, and will not come to it, fearing that their actions will be exposed;
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 the person who lives by the truth comes into the light, so it can be clearly seen that God is in all they do.
22 After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.
After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the country parts of Judea; and there he stayed with them, and baptized.
23 Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.
John, also, was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there were many streams there; and people were constantly coming and being baptized.
24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)
(For John had not yet been imprisoned).
25 Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.
Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a fellow Jew on the subject of purification;
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 the disciples came to John and said, ‘Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, and to whom you have yourself borne testimony – he, also, is baptizing, and everybody is going to him.’
27 John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
John’s answer was – ‘A person can gain nothing but what is given them from heaven.
28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’
You are yourselves witnesses that I said “I am not the Christ,” but “I have been sent before him as a messenger.”
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.
It is the groom who has the bride; but the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens to him, is filled with joy when he hears the groom’s voice. This joy I have felt to the full.
30 He must increase; I must decrease.
He must become greater, and I 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 above is above all others; but a child of earth is earthly, and his teaching is earthly, too. He who comes from heaven is above all others.
32 He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.
He states what he has seen and what he heard, and yet no one accepts his statement.
33 Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.
They who did accept his statement confirm the fact 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 sent as his messenger gives us God’s own teaching, for God does not limit the gift of the Spirit.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
The Father loves his Son, and has put everything in his hands.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.” (aiōnios g166)
The person who believes in the Son has eternal life, while a person who rejects the Son will not even see that life, but remains under God’s displeasure. (aiōnios g166)
