< John 3 >
1 Now there was one of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him. "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent from God; for no man can do these signs which you are continually doing, unless God is with him."
3 "In very truth I tell you," answered Jesus, "that unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus replied; "Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?"
5 "I tell you solemnly," Jesus answered, "that unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 What is born of the flesh is flesh; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not at my telling you, ‘You must all be born again from above.’
8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with every one who has been born of the Spirit."
9 "How can this be?" said Nicodemus in reply.
10 "Are you the Teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?" said Jesus.
11 "Most solemnly I tell you we are speaking of what we know, and it is about that of which we were eyewitnesses that we give testimony. Yet all of you reject our testimony.
12 If I have told you earthly things and yet none of you believe me, how will you believe if I tell you concerning heavenly things?
13 There is no one gone up to heaven, except the One who came down from heaven - the Son of man himself.
14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up,
15 in order that every one who believes in him may have eternal life. (aiōnios )
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever trusts in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (aiōnios )
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He who trusts in him is not condemned, but he who does not trust has already been condemned, because he has not put his trust in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one who practises wrong hates light, and does not come to the light, lest his actions be exposed;
21 but he who does what is true, comes to the light, in order that his actions may be shown to have been wrought in God."
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the countryside of Judea, and there he was staying with them and baptizing.
23 John also was baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there were many streams there, and people kept coming to receive baptism.
24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)
25 Then some of John’s disciples got into a controversy with a Jew in regard to purification; so they came to John and said to him.
26 "Rabbi, see! The man who was with you on the other side of Jordan, and to whom you yourself have borne testimony, is now baptizing, and everybody is coming to him."
27 In reply John said. "A man cannot obtain anything unless it has been granted to him from heaven.
28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but have been sent before him.’
29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So then this joy of mine has now complete fulfilment.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 "He that comes from above is above all; but one who is of the earth, of the earth he is, and of the earth he speaks. He who comes from heaven is above all.
32 He bears testimony to what he has heard and seen, yet no one receives his testimony.
33 Whoever does receive it has set his seal that God is true.
34 For he whom God sent utters the words of God; for God does not give the Spirit sparingly.
35 the Father loves the Son and has committed everything into his hands.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who disobeys the Son shall not see life, but he who disobeys the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him." (aiōnios )
