John 3
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council.
Now there was a man among the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
2 He came at night to where Jesus was and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God, for nobody could do the miraculous signs you're doing unless God was with him.”
He went to Jesus at night, and he said to him: “Rabbi, we know that you have arrived as a teacher from God. For no one would be able to accomplish these signs, which you accomplish, unless God were with him.”
3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “Unless you are reborn, you can't experience God's kingdom.”
Jesus responded and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one has been reborn anew, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”
4 “How can you be reborn when you're old?” Nicodemus asked. “You can't go back into your mother's womb and be born a second time!”
Nicodemus said to him: “How could a man be born when he is old? Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be reborn?”
5 “I tell you the truth, you can't enter God's kingdom unless you are born of water and the Spirit,” Jesus told him.
Jesus responded: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one has been reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.
6 “What's born of the flesh is flesh, and what's born of the Spirit is Spirit.
What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Don't be surprised at my telling you, ‘You must be reborn.’
You should not be amazed that I said to you: You must be born anew.
8 The wind blows wherever it wants, and just as you hear the sound it makes, but don't know where it's coming from or where it's going, that's how it is for everyone who is born of the spirit.”
The Spirit inspires where he wills. And you hear his voice, but you do not know where he comes from, or where he is going. So it is with all who are born of the Spirit.”
9 “How is this possible?” Nicodemus asked.
Nicodemus responded and said to him, “How are these things able to be accomplished?”
10 “You're a famous teacher in Israel, and yet you don't understand such things?” Jesus replied.
Jesus responded and said to him: “You are a teacher in Israel, and you are ignorant of these things?
11 “I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and give evidence regarding what we have seen, but you refuse to accept our testimony.
Amen, amen, I say to you, that we speak about what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. But you do not accept our testimony.
12 If you don't trust what I say when I tell you about earthly things, how would you ever trust what I say if I were to tell you about heavenly things?
If I have spoken to you about earthly things, and you have not believed, then how will you believe, if I will speak to you about heavenly things?
13 No one has gone up to heaven, but the Son of man came down from heaven.
And no one has ascended to heaven, except the one who descended from heaven: the Son of man who is in heaven.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of man must be lifted up,
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so also must the Son of man be lifted up,
so that whoever believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
16 For God loved the world, and this is how: he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who trusts in him shouldn't die, but have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
17 God didn't send the 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, in order to judge the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him.
18 Those who trust in him are not condemned, while those who don't trust in him are condemned already because they didn't trust in the one and only Son of God.
Whoever believes in him is not judged. But whoever does not believe is already judged, because he does not believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
19 This is how the decision is made: the light came to the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light, for their actions were evil.
And this is the judgment: that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness more than light. For their works were evil.
20 All those who do evil hate the light and don't come into the light, because they don't want their actions to be exposed.
For everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not go toward the Light, so that his works may not be corrected.
21 But those who do good come into the light, so that what God accomplishes in them can be revealed.”
But whoever acts in truth goes toward the Light, so that his works may be manifested, because they have been accomplished in God.”
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into Judea and spent some time with the people, baptizing them.
After these things, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. And he was living there with them and baptizing.
23 John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there and people kept coming to be baptized.
Now John was also baptizing, at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water in that place. And they were arriving and being baptized.
24 (This was before John was imprisoned.)
For John had not yet been cast into prison.
25 An argument developed between John's disciples and a Jew over ceremonial purification.
Then a dispute occurred between the disciples of John and the Jews, about purification.
26 They went to John and told him, “Rabbi, the man you were with on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you testified in support of—see, now he's baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”
And they went to John and said to him: “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, about whom you offered testimony: behold, he is baptizing and everyone is going to him.”
27 “No one receives anything unless they're given it from heaven,” John replied.
John responded and said: “A man is not able to receive anything, unless it has been given to him from heaven.
28 “You yourselves can testify that I declared, ‘I'm not the Messiah. I've been sent to prepare his way.’
You yourselves offer testimony for me that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but that I have been sent before him.
29 The bridegroom is the one who has the bride! The best man waits, listening for the bridegroom, and is so happy when he hears the bridegroom's voice—in the same way my happiness is now complete.
He who holds the bride is the groom. But the friend of the groom, who stands and listens to Him, rejoices joyfully at the voice of the groom. And so, this, my joy, has been fulfilled.
30 He must become more important, and I must become less important.”
He must increase, while I must decrease.
31 He who comes from above is greater than all; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about earthly things. He who comes from heaven is greater than all.
He who comes from above, is above everything. He who is from below, is of the earth, and he speaks about the earth. He who comes from heaven is above everything.
32 He gives evidence about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he has to say.
And what he has seen and heard, about this he testifies. And no one accepts his testimony.
33 Yet anyone who accepts what he says confirms that God is truthful.
Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified that God is truthful.
34 For the one God sent speaks God's words, because God doesn't restrict the Spirit.
For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For God does not give the Spirit by measure.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
The Father loves the Son, and he has given everything into his hand.
36 Anyone who trusts in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to trust the Son will not experience eternal life but remains under God's condemnation. (aiōnios g166)
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. But whoever is unbelieving toward the Son shall not see life; instead the wrath of God remains upon him.” (aiōnios g166)
