John 3
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish religious council. He belonged to the Pharisee [religious sect].
And there was a man of the Farisees, Nychodeme bi name, a prince of the Jewis.
2 He went to see Jesus at night, [to talk to him about God’s kingdom]. He said to Jesus, “Teacher, [we believe that] you are a teacher who has come from God. [We believe this because] we know that someone could perform the miracles you are doing only if God were helping him.”
And he cam to Jhesu bi niyt, and seide to hym, Rabi, we witen, that thou art comun fro God maister; for no man may do these signes, that thou doist, but God be with hym.
3 Jesus replied to him, “Listen to this carefully: Unless people are born again and [have a new life from God], they cannot even see the place where God rules [MET]!”
Jhesus answerde, and seide to hym, Treuli, treuli, Y seie to thee, but a man be borun ayen, he may not se the kyngdom of God.
4 Then Nicodemus said to him, “(No one can be born when he is old!/How can anyone be born when he is old?) [RHQ] (There is no way he can enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time!/How can he enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time?) [RHQ]”
Nychodeme seide to hym, Hou may a man be borun, whanne he is eeld? whether he may entre ayen in to his modris wombe, and be borun ayen?
5 Jesus answered, “Note this: Being born naturally is not [enough]; people need to also be born [spiritually] by God’s Spirit. If that does not happen, they cannot experience God ruling [MET] [their lives].
Jhesus answeride, Treuli, treuli, Y seie to thee, but a man be borun ayen of watir, and of the Hooli Goost, he may not entre in to the kyngdom of God.
6 Humans give birth to humans. But those who are born [again] as a result of what [God’s] Spirit [does receive a new] spiritual [nature from God].
`That that is borun of the fleisch, is fleisch; and `that that is borun of spirit, is spirit.
7 Do not be surprised about my telling you that you must be born again [and have a new life from God].
Wondre thou not, for Y seide to thee, It bihoueth you to be borun ayen.
8 [Let me illustrate]: The wind blows wherever it wants to blow. You hear its sound, but you do not know where the wind comes from or where it is going. Similarly, those [who do not know God cannot understand/control/predict] how people are born again as a result of what God’s spirit [does].”
The spirit brethith where he wole, and thou herist his vois, but thou wost not, fro whennus he cometh, ne whidir he goith; so is ech man that is borun of the spirit.
9 Nicodemus replied to him, “How can that happen?”
Nychodeme answeride, and seide to hym, Hou moun these thingis be don?
10 Jesus replied to him, “You [(sg)] are a [well-known] teacher among [us] Israelite people, so (I am surprised that you do not understand these things!/how is it that you do not understand these things?) [RHQ]
Jhesus answeride, and seide to hym, Thou art a maister in Israel, and knowist not these thingis?
11 Listen to this carefully: (My disciples and I/I) tell you [(pl)] about the things that my disciples and I have seen and know [are true], but you [(pl)] do not admit that what my disciples and I are saying [is true].
Treuli, treuli, Y seie to thee, for we speken that that we witen, and we witnessen that that we han seyn, and ye taken not oure witnessyng.
12 I have told you about the things [that happen here] on earth that are true, but you [(pl)] do not believe me. So if I tell you [(sg)] about things [that happen] in heaven, (you certainly will not believe me!/how will you believe me?) [RHQ]
If Y haue seid to you ertheli thingis, and ye bileuen not, hou if Y seie to you heueneli thingis, schulen ye bileue?
13 I am the only one who has gone up to heaven; no one else has gone up there. I am also the one who came down from heaven. [So I know what happens there].
And no man stieth in to heuene, but he that cam doun fro heuene, mannys sone that is in heuene.
14 [Long ago when the Israelite people rebelled against God] in the desolate area, [God sent poisonous snakes to bite them]. But when Moses lifted up [on a pole] the [model of a] poisonous snake, [everyone who looked at that model was healed from their snake bites]. Similarly, [even though I] am the one who came from heaven, [some day people] will lift me up [on a cross to kill me].
And as Moises areride a serpent in desert, so it bihoueth mannys sone to be reisid,
that ech man that bileueth in hym, perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf. (aiōnios g166)
16 God loved us people [MTY] in the world so much that he gave his only Son [as a sacrifice for us], in order that everyone who believes in him would not be separated from God forever. Instead, they would have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
For God louede so the world, that he yaf his `oon bigetun sone, that ech man that bileueth in him perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf. (aiōnios g166)
17 When God sent his Son into the world, his purpose was not to punish the [people in] [MTY] the world for their sins. Instead, he sent him in order that they might be saved by him {he might save them} [from being] ([guilty/punished]) [for their sins].
For God sente not his sone in to the world, that he iuge the world, but that the world be saued bi him.
18 Everyone who trusts in his Son, [God says that they] will not be punished {that he will not punish them}. But God has already [said that] everyone who does not trust in his Son will be punished {that he will punish everyone who does not trust in his Son}, because they have not trusted in what his only Son [has done for them].
He that bileueth in hym, is not demed; but he that bileueth not, is now demed, for he bileueth not in the name of the `oon bigetun sone of God.
19 The [one who was like a] light [MET] [to reveal God’s truth to us] came into the world. But people loved doing what was [evil, like] darkness [MET] [is evil], instead of loving the [one who was like a] light. That is the reason [God will] judge people [and condemn them].
And this is the dom, for liyt cam in to the world, and men loueden more derknessis than liyt; for her werkes weren yuele.
20 Everyone who does what is evil hates the [one who is like a] light, and they will not come to the [one who is like a] light, because it would be shown {[the one who is like a light] would show} that their deeds [are evil, and he would rebuke them].
For ech man that doith yuele, hatith the liyt; and he cometh not to the liyt, that hise werkis be not repreued.
21 But those who live according to [God’s] truth come to the [one who is like a] light, in order that it may be seen clearly {that people may see clearly} that the things they have done, they did them because [they have depended] on God.
But he that doith treuthe, cometh to the liyt, that hise werkis be schewid, that thei ben don in God.
22 Some time later Jesus and we disciples went to Judea district. He stayed with us there and [directed us as we] baptized people.
Aftir these thingis Jhesus cam, and hise disciplis, in to the loond of Judee, and there he dwellide with hem, and baptiside.
23 John [the Baptizer] was also baptizing people. He was doing that at Aenon [village] near Salim [town in Samaria district], because there were many springs in that area. [Many] people kept coming [to John] and were being baptized {he was baptizing them}.
And Joon was baptisinge in Ennon, bisidis Salym, for many watris weren there; and thei camen, and weren baptisid.
24 That happened before John was put {they put John} in prison.
And Joon was not yit sent in to prisoun.
25 Then some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew started arguing about the Jewish rituals of washing things [to make them acceptable to God].
Therfor a questioun was maad of Jonys disciplis with the Jewis, of the purificacioun.
26 Then those disciples went to John and said to him, “Teacher, [do you remember] the man who was with you when you were baptizing people on the other side of the Jordan River? He is the one you were telling us about. Well, now he is baptizing people, and many people are going to him [instead of coming to us]!”
And thei camen to Joon, and seiden `to hym, Maister, he that was with thee biyonde Jordan, to whom thou hast borun witnessyng, lo! he baptisith, and alle men comen to hym.
27 John replied, “A person can become [important] only if God [MTY] permits it. [So] we [should not be jealous about Jesus being popular]!
Joon answerde, and seide, A man may not take ony thing, but it be youun to hym fro heuene.
28 You yourselves can verify what I said. I told you that I am not (the Messiah/God’s promised king). Instead, I [told you that] I was sent {that [God] sent me} to prepare the way for him.
Ye you silf beren witnessyng to me, that Y seide, Y am not Crist, but that Y am sent bifore hym.
29 [Let me illustrate] [MET]: [He is like a] ([bridegroom/man who is being married]), [and I am like his friend]. The friend of the bridegroom stands there and waits [for him to come]. That friend is very happy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice [when he arrives]. Similarly, I am very happy [about what you have told me].
He that hath a wijf, is the hosebonde; but the freend of the spouse that stondith, and herith hym, ioieth with ioye, for the vois of the spouse. Therfor in this thing my ioye is fulfillid.
30 It is necessary for Jesus to become more important [by making more disciples than I have], and for me to become less [important].”
It bihoueth hym to wexe, but me to be maad lesse.
31 [Jesus] came from heaven. He is more important than anyone else. Those who are born from [parents here] on earth [MTY] are just humans, and they speak about things [that happen here] on the earth. But since Jesus came from heaven, his [words are] more important than anyone else’s.
He that cam from aboue, is aboue alle; he that is of the erthe, spekith of the erthe; he that cometh from heuene, is aboue alle.
32 He tells people what he has seen and what he heard [in heaven], but very few people [HYP] listen to what he says.
And he witnessith that thing that he hath seie, and herde, and no man takith his witnessing.
33 Those who have accepted what he has said verify that what God has said is true.
But he that takith his witnessyng, hath confermyd that God is sothefast.
34 [We know it is true] because [Jesus], the one God sent, speaks the message of God. [That is also true] because God causes his Spirit to live [in Jesus] to completely [direct everything he says and does].
But he whom God hath sent, spekith the wordis of God; for not to mesure God yyueth the spirit.
35 God loves his Son, and has caused him to have control/power over everything.
The fadir loueth the sone, and he hath youun alle thingis in his hoond.
36 Those who trust in [God’s] Son have eternal life. But those who reject God’s Son will never have [eternal] life. Instead, God is angry with them [and he will surely punish them]. (aiōnios g166)
He that bileueth in the sone, hath euerlastynge lijf; but he that is vnbileueful to the sone, schal not se euerlastynge lijf, but the wraththe of God dwellith on hym. (aiōnios g166)
