John 3
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council.
Azɔ la, ame aɖe si tso Farisitɔwo dome, eye eŋkɔe nye Nikodemo la li. Enye Yudatɔwo ƒe takpekpe gã me nɔla.
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.”
Eva Yesu gbɔ le zã me, eye wògblɔ nɛ be, Nufiala, menya be nufialae nènye tso Mawu gbɔ va. Elabena ame aɖeke mate ŋu awɔ dzesi wɔnuku siwo nèwɔna, ne Mawu meli kplii o.
3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “Unless you are reborn, you can't experience God's kingdom.”
Yesu ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Vavã mele egblɔm na wò be, ne womegbugbɔ ame dzi o la, mate ŋu ayi mawufiaɖuƒe la me o.”
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!”
Nikodemo gblɔ be, “Aleke wɔ ametsitsi nagatrɔ ayi dadaa ƒe dɔ me be woagbugbɔe adzii?”
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.
Yesu ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Nyateƒe gblɔm mele na wò be, ne womegbugbɔ ame dzi to tsi kple gbɔgbɔ me o la, mate ŋu ayi mawufiaɖuƒe la me o.
6 “What's born of the flesh is flesh, and what's born of the Spirit is Spirit.
Amegbetɔ ate ŋu adzi ŋutilã ko, gake Gbɔgbɔ Kɔkɔe lae naa agbe yeye tso dziƒo.
7 Don't be surprised at my telling you, ‘You must be reborn.’
Le esia ta megawɔ nuku na wò be megblɔ na wò be ele be woagbugbɔ wò adzi o.
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.”
Ya ƒona yia teƒe ɖe sia ɖe si wòlɔ̃ la; àte ŋu ase eŋkɔ, gake màte ŋu agblɔ afi si wòtso alo afi si wòyina o. Nenema ke wònɔna na ame sia ame si wodzi to Gbɔgbɔ la me la.”
9 “How is this possible?” Nicodemus asked.
Nikodemo gabia Yesu be, “Aleke esia ate ŋu ava emee?”
10 “You're a famous teacher in Israel, and yet you don't understand such things?” Jesus replied.
Yesu ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Wò, Israel ƒe nufiala, mèse nu siawo gɔme oa?
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.
Le nyateƒe me la, míeƒoa nu tso nu siwo míenya la ŋu, eye míeɖia ɖase tso nu siwo míekpɔ la ŋu, ke miexɔa míaƒe ɖaseɖiɖi o.
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?
Esi meƒo nu tso anyigbadzinuwo ŋu, eye mèxɔ wo dzi se o ɖe, aleke nàwɔ axɔe se ne meƒo nu tso dziƒonuwo ŋu na wò?
13 No one has gone up to heaven, but the Son of man came down from heaven.
Elabena Amegbetɔ Vi la koe tso dziƒo va anyigba dzi, eye wòagatrɔ ayi dziƒo.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of man must be lifted up,
Abe ale si Mose kɔ akɔblida la ɖe dzi le gbea dzi ene la, nenema ke woakɔ Amegbetɔ Vi la ɖe dzii,
be ame sia ame si xɔa edzi sena la nakpɔ agbe mavɔ.” (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)
Elabena Mawu lɔ̃a xexea me ale gbegbe be wòtsɔ eya ŋutɔ Via ɖeka hɔ̃ɔ la na, be ame sia ame si axɔ edzi ase la, nagatsrɔ̃ o, ke boŋ wòakpɔ agbe mavɔ. (aiōnios g166)
17 God didn't send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Mawu meɖo Via ɖa be wòava drɔ̃ ʋɔnu xexea me o, ke boŋ be wòaɖe xexea me to edzi.
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.
Ame siwo xɔ edzi se la, womadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu wo o, ke ame siwo mexɔ edzi se o la, wodrɔ̃ ʋɔnu wo xoxo, elabena womexɔ Mawu ƒe Vi ɖeka hɔ̃ɔ la dzi se o.
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.
Nu si ta wodrɔ̃ ʋɔnu wo xoxo lae nye be Kekeli tso dziƒo va xexea me, gake ame siawo lɔ̃ viviti wu Kekeli la, elabena woƒe nuwɔnawo vɔ̃ɖi ŋutɔ.
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.
Wolé fu Kekeli si tso dziƒo va la, elabena wodi vevie be yewoawɔ nu vɔ̃ le viviti me. Wote ɖa xaa tso Kekeli la gbɔ, elabena wovɔ̃ be yewoƒe nu vɔ̃wo adze le gaglãgbe.
21 But those who do good come into the light, so that what God accomplishes in them can be revealed.”
Gake ame siwo le nyateƒe la dzi wɔm la vaa Kekeli la gbɔ be ame sia ame nakpɔe be yewole Mawu ƒe lɔlɔ̃nu wɔm.
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into Judea and spent some time with the people, baptizing them.
Le esia megbe la, Yesu kple eƒe nusrɔ̃lawo dzo le Yerusalem heyi Yudea nyigba dzi, afi si wonɔ ŋkeke ʋɛ aɖewo hede mawutsi ta na amewo.
23 John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there and people kept coming to be baptized.
Ke Yohanes hã nɔ mawutsi dem ta na amewo le Aenon, si te ɖe Salem ŋuti, elabena tsi sɔ gbɔ ɖe afi ma, eye amewo nɔ vavam enuenu be wòade mawutsi ta na yewo.
24 (This was before John was imprisoned.)
(Esia do ŋgɔ na Yohanes léle de gaxɔ me.)
25 An argument developed between John's disciples and a Jew over ceremonial purification.
Nyaʋiʋli ɖo Yohanes ƒe nusrɔ̃la aɖewo kple Yudatɔwo dome tso Yudatɔwo ƒe ŋutikɔklɔkɔnu la ŋu.
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!”
Esia na be nusrɔ̃lawo va Yohanes gbɔ va gblɔ nɛ be, “Nufiala, ŋutsu si nèdo goe le Yɔdan tɔsisi la godo, ame si ŋuti nèɖi ɖase le hã le mawutsi dem ta na amewo, eye ame geɖewo le egbɔ yim.”
27 “No one receives anything unless they're given it from heaven,” John replied.
Yohanes ɖo eŋu na wo be, “Nu si Mawu na ame tso dziƒo la ko wòate ŋu axɔ.
28 “You yourselves can testify that I declared, ‘I'm not the Messiah. I've been sent to prepare his way.’
Miaɖo ŋku edzi be megblɔ na mi be, ‘Menye nyee nye Kristo la o, ke boŋ ame dɔdɔ menye le eyama ŋgɔ.’
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.
Ŋugbetɔ la nye ŋugbetɔsrɔ̃ la tɔ. Ŋugbetɔsrɔ̃ xɔlɔ̃ si subɔa ŋugbetɔsrɔ̃ la nɔa to dzi, eye wòkpɔa dzidzɔ ne ese ŋugbetɔsrɔ̃ la ƒe gbe. Nyee nye ŋugbetɔsrɔ̃ la xɔlɔ̃, eya ta dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ yɔ menye ɖe ŋugbetɔsrɔ̃ la ƒe dzidzedzekpɔkpɔ ta.
30 He must become more important, and I must become less important.”
Ele be nàzu gã, ke nye la, mayi to.
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.
“Ame sia la, dziƒoe wòtso eye ede ŋgɔ wu amewo katã. Nye la, anyigba dzie metso eye nye nunya kple nugɔmesese mate ŋu akɔ wu anyigbadzitɔwo tɔ o.
32 He gives evidence about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he has to say.
Eɖia ɖase le nu si wokpɔ kple nu si wose la ŋuti, gake ame aɖeke mexɔa eƒe ɖaseɖiɖiwo dzi sena o.
33 Yet anyone who accepts what he says confirms that God is truthful.
Ame si xɔ edzi se la ɖi ɖase be Mawue nye anukwaretɔ
34 For the one God sent speaks God's words, because God doesn't restrict the Spirit.
Elabena ame si Mawu ɖo ɖa gblɔa Mawu ƒe nyawo elabena Mawu na Gbɔgbɔ lae le agbɔsɔsɔ me.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
Fofo la lɔ̃a Via sia ale gbegbe be etsɔ nu sia nu de asi nɛ.
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)
Ame sia ame si xɔ Mawu ƒe Vi sia dzi se la akpɔ agbe mavɔ. Ke ame siwo meɖoa toe o, eye womexɔa edzi sena o la makpɔ agbe mavɔ la o, ke boŋ Mawu ƒe dɔmedzoe anɔ wo dzi.” (aiōnios g166)
