< 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].
Jehudi noksong phansiitte Nikodimas ngeh ih Pharisi mih wasiit angta.
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.”
Pheesiit Jisu reeni wang ano li wangta, [Chuupha, seng ih jat ehi an Rangte ih kaat thuk ho rah nyootte warah ah. Rangte heh damdoh lah angka bah an reelu paatjaajih loong ah o uh tajen reeka.
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]!”
Jisu ih ngaakbaatta, “Ngah ih amiisak tiit ah baat hala; o uh weedop tup lah eka bah Rangte hasong ah mabah uh tachoh tupka ang ah.”
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]”
“Mihak ah mamah ma we ngaak dongtup ah?” Nikodimas ih chengta. “Amiimi dobah heh nuh mong nah tami ngaak nopka eno dopnyi tami doptup ka!”
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].
“Ngah ih amiisak tiit ah baat hala,” Jisu ih ngaakbaatta, “Ju nyia Chiiala nah latupka bah Rangte Hasong nah o uh tajen nop wangka.
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].
Mina ah hansi ni henuh hewah ih dongtup ha; enoothong chiiala lam dobah Chiiala nawa ih tup ah.
7 Do not be surprised about my telling you that you must be born again [and have a new life from God].
Sen loong ah weedop tup jaatjaat etheng ngeh ih baatrum kohaano nak paatja an.
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].”
Pong ah madi pongtheng ah erah di pongla; sen ih pong huuk ah ba chaat han, enoothong manawa pongwang hala nyia maako pong kala erah an ih tajatko. Erah raangtaan ih o mina Chiiala nawa ih tup ha mirep erah likhiik ang ah.”
9 Nicodemus replied to him, “How can that happen?”
“Emah mamah mi ang ah?” Nikodimas ih chengta.
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]
Jisu ih ngaakbaatta. “Ijirel ni nyootte elong laangma ang uh, eno an ih erah tanih jatko?
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].
Ngah ih amiisak tiit ah baat hala: Seng ih marah jat hi erah jengli nyia marah tup hi erah ah baat hi, erabah uh sen loong ah ih o ih uh seng jengkhaap ah tathang kan.
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]
Arah mongrep dowa jaatrep tiit baat rumhala ah sen ih tahanpi ri; eno, Rangmong hasong tiit baat rumhala tang ah, mamah ma ih hanpi an?
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].
Eno rangmong ni wasiit taan uh maang thaak wangka, rangmong nawa ra taha Mina Sah ah luulu ba.”
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].
Phisaang hani Moses ih jaanmeen nawa hoon arah pu ah thong ni toonbotta, erah likhiik ih Mina Sah ah toonbot jaatjaat ih ah,
15 As a result, everyone who believes/trusts in me will have eternal life.” (aiōnios g166)
tiimnge liidi o mina ih heh hanpi ah erah mih rah ih lathoon roidong ah choh ah. (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)
Rangte ih mongrep ah erah than ih minchanha Hesah wasiit luulu ah thoonkota, tiimnge liidi o mina ih heh hanpi ah erah tatiika erah nang ebah lathoon roidong ah ba choh ah. (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].
Rangte ih Hesah ah arah mongrep dandeete tadaap jataha, erah nang ih khopui pang suh daapkaat taha.
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].
O mina ih Hesah ah hanpiiha erah tadande ka ang ah; enoothong o mina ih lahanpiika erabah jen dande eta, tiimnge liidi heh ih Rangte Sah heh luulu ah tahanpiika.
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].
Dande ah emamah ih dande kaat ah; weephaak ah mongrep ni phaak e ra hala, enoothong mina loong ah ih weephaak nang ih laamang asuh ese choha, tiimnge liidi neng reeraang ah ethih.
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].
O mina ethih mokala erah mih ah ih weephaak ah echiik eha eno weephaak ni tawangra, tiimnge liidi neng ethih reeraang loong ah noisok suh tanook rumka.
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.
Enoothong o mina ih amiisak moot ah mokala erah loong ah ba weephaak adoh thok haano heh reeraangta ah Rangte jeng chaatchaat ih reeta ngeh ih weephaak ah ih noisok rum ah.
22 Some time later Jesus and we disciples went to Judea district. He stayed with us there and [directed us as we] baptized people.
Erah lilih, Jisu nyia heliphante loong ah Judia hadaang ko ih karumta, erah ni Jisu neng damdi chomroe saapoot roongtong ano juutem thuk rumta.
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}.
Aenon ni ju ah hantek ang kano, Joon ih uh erah hah ni juutem rumta, erah hah ah Salim dowa ih haloh tah angta. Miloong ah heh reeni karumta, eno Joon ih ju ah tem ih rumta. (
24 That happened before John was put {they put John} in prison.
Erah langla Joon phaatak ni maangsak kaadi.)
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].
Joon liphante loong dowa mararah ah Jehudi damdi neng banlam juusaakaat thoidi daanmui rumta.
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]!”
Erah thoidi Joon reeni wangrum ano liiwang rumta, [Nyootte, Jordan ju saadongko adi an damdi angta wah ah dokthun thaak uh, an ih kabaattu warah ah? Heh ih amadi juutem rumha, eno loongtang heh reeni karumla!]
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 ih ngaakbaat rumta, [O suh uh Rangte ih lakoka bah tiim uh tachoka.
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.
Ngah ih baatrum taha nga haaki ah sen loong ah, ‘Ngah Kristo tah angkang, enoothong heh ngah ni ngah ban kaat thuk halang.’
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].
Jaaro suh nookte jaalah ah heteenuh kapte jaaro ah raangtaan ih; eno jaalah kapte warah reeni chapla joonte loong ah heh root ah japchaat rum ano eroon ela. Nga tenroon ah emamah ih ang ah.
30 It is necessary for Jesus to become more important [by making more disciples than I have], and for me to become less [important].”
Jisu ah nga nang ih elong jaatjaat ang ah ngah ehin.]
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.
O khothung nawa ra hala ah loongtang nang ih elongthoon. O arah hah nawa dongla erabah arah hah raangtaan eno heh ih bah arah hatoh hadaang tiit baat ah, enoothong o rangmong nawa ra hala erabah loongtang nang ih echoong ni.
32 He tells people what he has seen and what he heard [in heaven], but very few people [HYP] listen to what he says.
Heh ih tiimjaat tupta nyia chaatta ah baat ha, erabah uh heh tiitkhaap ah o ih uh takapka.
33 Those who have accepted what he has said verify that what God has said is true.
Enoothong o ih heh tiitkhaap ah kap eha erah dowa ih jattheng Rangte ah amiisak ju.
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].
Rangte ih marah wasiit daapjah hala heh Rangte jeng jengla, tiimnge liidi heh suh Rangte ih Chiiala thoontang koha.
35 God loves his Son, and has caused him to have control/power over everything.
Hewah ih Hesah ah rapne ih minchan thoidi jirep ah heh chaan hephaan khui ni thiinkoha.
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)
O ih Hesah ah hanpi eha erah taang ni lathoon roidong ah jeela; Hesah jeng laboichaatte loong asuh bah roidong tajeeka, erah nang ebah Rangte tenkhat khui nah cham ah. (aiōnios g166)

< John 3 >