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].
nikadimanāmā yihūdīyānām adhipatiḥ phirūśī kṣaṇadāyāṁ
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.”
yīśaurabhyarṇam āvrajya vyāhārṣīt, he guro bhavān īśvarād āgat eka upadeṣṭā, etad asmābhirjñāyate; yato bhavatā yānyāścaryyakarmmāṇi kriyante parameśvarasya sāhāyyaṁ vinā kenāpi tattatkarmmāṇi karttuṁ na śakyante|
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]!”
tadā yīśuruttaraṁ dattavān tavāhaṁ yathārthataraṁ vyāharāmi punarjanmani na sati kopi mānava īśvarasya rājyaṁ draṣṭuṁ na śaknoti|
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]”
tato nikadīmaḥ pratyavocat manujo vṛddho bhūtvā kathaṁ janiṣyate? sa kiṁ puna rmātṛrjaṭharaṁ praviśya janituṁ śaknoti?
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].
yīśuravādīd yathārthataram ahaṁ kathayāmi manuje toyātmabhyāṁ puna rna jāte sa īśvarasya rājyaṁ praveṣṭuṁ na śaknoti|
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].
māṁsād yat jāyate tan māṁsameva tathātmano yo jāyate sa ātmaiva|
7 Do not be surprised about my telling you that you must be born again [and have a new life from God].
yuṣmābhiḥ puna rjanitavyaṁ mamaitasyāṁ kathāyām āścaryaṁ mā maṁsthāḥ|
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].”
sadāgatiryāṁ diśamicchati tasyāmeva diśi vāti, tvaṁ tasya svanaṁ śuṇoṣi kintu sa kuta āyāti kutra yāti vā kimapi na jānāsi tadvād ātmanaḥ sakāśāt sarvveṣāṁ manujānāṁ janma bhavati|
9 Nicodemus replied to him, “How can that happen?”
tadā nikadīmaḥ pṛṣṭavān etat kathaṁ bhavituṁ śaknoti?
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]
yīśuḥ pratyaktavān tvamisrāyelo gururbhūtvāpi kimetāṁ kathāṁ na vetsi?
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].
tubhyaṁ yathārthaṁ kathayāmi, vayaṁ yad vidmastad vacmaḥ yaṁcca paśyāmastasyaiva sākṣyaṁ dadmaḥ kintu yuṣmābhirasmākaṁ sākṣitvaṁ na gṛhyate|
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]
etasya saṁsārasya kathāyāṁ kathitāyāṁ yadi yūyaṁ na viśvasitha tarhi svargīyāyāṁ kathāyāṁ kathaṁ viśvasiṣyatha?
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].
yaḥ svarge'sti yaṁ ca svargād avārohat taṁ mānavatanayaṁ vinā kopi svargaṁ nārohat|
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].
aparañca mūsā yathā prāntare sarpaṁ protthāpitavān manuṣyaputro'pi tathaivotthāpitavyaḥ;
tasmād yaḥ kaścit tasmin viśvasiṣyati so'vināśyaḥ san anantāyuḥ prāpsyati| (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)
īśvara itthaṁ jagadadayata yat svamadvitīyaṁ tanayaṁ prādadāt tato yaḥ kaścit tasmin viśvasiṣyati so'vināśyaḥ san anantāyuḥ prāpsyati| (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].
īśvaro jagato lokān daṇḍayituṁ svaputraṁ na preṣya tān paritrātuṁ preṣitavān|
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].
ataeva yaḥ kaścit tasmin viśvasiti sa daṇḍārho na bhavati kintu yaḥ kaścit tasmin na viśvasiti sa idānīmeva daṇḍārho bhavati, yataḥ sa īśvarasyādvitīyaputrasya nāmani pratyayaṁ na karoti|
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].
jagato madhye jyotiḥ prākāśata kintu manuṣyāṇāṁ karmmaṇāṁ dṛṣṭatvāt te jyotiṣopi timire prīyante etadeva daṇḍasya kāraṇāṁ bhavati|
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].
yaḥ kukarmma karoti tasyācārasya dṛṣṭatvāt sa jyotirṝtīyitvā tannikaṭaṁ nāyāti;
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.
kintu yaḥ satkarmma karoti tasya sarvvāṇi karmmāṇīśvareṇa kṛtānīti sathā prakāśate tadabhiprāyeṇa sa jyotiṣaḥ sannidhim āyāti|
22 Some time later Jesus and we disciples went to Judea district. He stayed with us there and [directed us as we] baptized people.
tataḥ param yīśuḥ śiṣyaiḥ sārddhaṁ yihūdīyadeśaṁ gatvā tatra sthitvā majjayitum ārabhata|
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}.
tadā śālam nagarasya samīpasthāyini ainan grāme bahutaratoyasthitestatra yohan amajjayat tathā ca lokā āgatya tena majjitā abhavan|
24 That happened before John was put {they put John} in prison.
tadā yohan kārāyāṁ na baddhaḥ|
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].
aparañca śācakarmmaṇi yohānaḥ śiṣyaiḥ saha yihūdīyalokānāṁ vivāde jāte, te yohanaḥ saṁnnidhiṁ gatvākathayan,
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]!”
he guro yarddananadyāḥ pāre bhavatā sārddhaṁ ya āsīt yasmiṁśca bhavān sākṣyaṁ pradadāt paśyatu sopi majjayati sarvve tasya samīpaṁ yānti ca|
27 John replied, “A person can become [important] only if God [MTY] permits it. [So] we [should not be jealous about Jesus being popular]!
tadā yohan pratyavocad īśvareṇa na datte kopi manujaḥ kimapi prāptuṁ na śaknoti|
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.
ahaṁ abhiṣikto na bhavāmi kintu tadagre preṣitosmi yāmimāṁ kathāṁ kathitavānāhaṁ tatra yūyaṁ sarvve sākṣiṇaḥ stha|
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].
yo janaḥ kanyāṁ labhate sa eva varaḥ kintu varasya sannidhau daṇḍāyamānaṁ tasya yanmitraṁ tena varasya śabde śrute'tīvāhlādyate mamāpi tadvad ānandasiddhirjātā|
30 It is necessary for Jesus to become more important [by making more disciples than I have], and for me to become less [important].”
tena kramaśo varddhitavyaṁ kintu mayā hsitavyaṁ|
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.
ya ūrdhvādāgacchat sa sarvveṣāṁ mukhyo yaśca saṁsārād udapadyata sa sāṁsārikaḥ saṁsārīyāṁ kathāñca kathayati yastu svargādāgacchat sa sarvveṣāṁ mukhyaḥ|
32 He tells people what he has seen and what he heard [in heaven], but very few people [HYP] listen to what he says.
sa yadapaśyadaśṛṇocca tasminneva sākṣyaṁ dadāti tathāpi prāyaśaḥ kaścit tasya sākṣyaṁ na gṛhlāti;
33 Those who have accepted what he has said verify that what God has said is true.
kintu yo gṛhlāti sa īśvarasya satyavāditvaṁ mudrāṅgitaṁ karoti|
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].
īśvareṇa yaḥ preritaḥ saeva īśvarīyakathāṁ kathayati yata īśvara ātmānaṁ tasmai aparimitam adadāt|
35 God loves his Son, and has caused him to have control/power over everything.
pitā putre snehaṁ kṛtvā tasya haste sarvvāṇi samarpitavān|
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)
yaḥ kaścit putre viśvasiti sa evānantam paramāyuḥ prāpnoti kintu yaḥ kaścit putre na viśvasiti sa paramāyuṣo darśanaṁ na prāpnoti kintvīśvarasya kopabhājanaṁ bhūtvā tiṣṭhati| (aiōnios g166)
