Juan 3
1 Kꞌo jun chike ri fariseos ubꞌiꞌ Nicodemo, jun kꞌamal bꞌe kech ri winaq aꞌj Israel.
There was a man named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish religious council. He belonged to the Pharisee [religious sect].
2 Jun chaqꞌabꞌil ri Nicodemo xuꞌsolij ri Jesús. Xubꞌij che: Ajtij, qetaꞌm chi are ri Dios xtaqow la loq, rumal cher maj chi jun kakwin chubꞌanik ri etal ri kabꞌan la, xaq xwi kakwin ri winaq chubꞌanik we jastaq riꞌ we kꞌo ri ukwinem ri Dios rukꞌ.
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.”
3 Ri Jesús xubꞌij che: Qas tzij kinbꞌij chawe chi ri winaq ri man kalax ta chik junmul, man kakwin taj kok pa ri ajawarem rech ri Dios.
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]!”
4 Ri Nicodemo xubꞌij che ri Jesús: ¿Jas kubꞌan jun achi rech kalax chik junmul? ¿La kakwin kꞌut kok chi bꞌik junmul chupam ri unan, kꞌa te riꞌ kalax chik?
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]”
5 Ri Jesús xubꞌij che: Qas tzij kinbꞌij chawe, ri man kalax taj che jaꞌ xuqujeꞌ che ri Uxlabꞌal man kakwin taj kok pa ri ajawarem rech ri Dios.
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].
6 Ri kakꞌiy chike winaq, winaq riꞌ, are kꞌu ri kakꞌiy che ri Uxlabꞌal rech ri Dios, uxlabꞌal riꞌ.
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].
7 Mat mayijanik che le xinbꞌij chawe: “Rajawaxik wi kixalax chik junmul.”
Do not be surprised about my telling you that you must be born again [and have a new life from God].
8 Ri kyaqiqꞌ kajichꞌichꞌ xapawjeꞌ ri karaj wi. Kato kaxururik, man awetaꞌm ta kꞌut jawjeꞌ upetik wi xuqujeꞌ jawjeꞌ keꞌ wi. Je xuqujeꞌ kakꞌulmataj rukꞌ ri winaq ri kalax pa ri Uxlabꞌal.
[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].”
9 Ri Nicodemo xubꞌij che ri Jesús: ¿Jas che jewaꞌ kakꞌulmatajik?
Nicodemus replied to him, “How can that happen?”
10 Ri Jesús xubꞌij che: ¿At ajtij kech ri winaq aꞌj Israel, man kachꞌobꞌ taj we jastaq riꞌ?
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]
11 Qas tzij kinbꞌij chawe, ri uj are kaqabꞌij ri qetaꞌm, xuqujeꞌ kaqaqꞌalajisaj ri qas qilom, ri ix kꞌut man kikoj taj ri kaqaqꞌalajisaj.
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].
12 We man kikoj ri jastaq rech uwachulew ri nubꞌim chiꞌwe ¿la are ta kꞌu kikoj ri jastaq rech chikaj?
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]
13 Maj jun paqalinaq pa ri kaj, xaq xwi ri in uKꞌojol ri Achi ri xqaj loq choch ri uwachulew.
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].
14 Jetaq ri xubꞌan ri Moisés xuxekebꞌa ri kumatz pa ri katzꞌinow ulew, je xuqujeꞌ kabꞌan na che uxekebꞌaxik ri uKꞌojol ri Achi.
[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].
As a result, everyone who believes/trusts in me will have eternal life.” (aiōnios g166)
16 Ri Dios sibꞌalaj xuꞌloqꞌaj ri winaq ri e kꞌo choch ri uwachulew, xuya ri xa jun uKꞌojol rech xapachin ri kakojon che man kasach ta uwach xane kꞌo ukꞌaslemal ri maj ukꞌisik. (aiōnios g166)
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)
17 Ri Dios man xutaq ta loq ri uKꞌojol chuqꞌatik tzij pa kiwiꞌ ri winaq ri e kꞌo choch ri uwachulew, xane xpetik rech rumal rech kekolotaj ri winaq.
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].
18 Ri kakojon che Areꞌ man kaqꞌat taj tzij puꞌwiꞌ, are kꞌu ri man kakojon taj xqꞌat taj tzij riꞌ puꞌwiꞌ, rumal cher man xkojon taj che ri ubꞌiꞌ ri xa jun uKꞌojol ri Dios.
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].
19 Kaqꞌat tzij pa kiwiꞌ ri winaq rumal man xekojon taj che ri tunal ri xpe choch ri uwachulew, are utz xkil ri qꞌequꞌmal, jeriꞌ rumal itzel taq chak kakibꞌano.
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].
20 Ri winaq ri kubꞌan etzelal, riꞌ karetzelaj ri tunal, man kaqebꞌ taj rukꞌ rumal cher kuxiꞌj ribꞌ chi kaqꞌalajin ri uchak.
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].
21 Are kꞌu ri winaq ri are karilij ubꞌanik ri chak rech ri tunal kaqebꞌ rukꞌ ri tunal rech jeriꞌ kaqꞌalajinik chi are ubꞌanom ri chak ri karaj ri Dios.
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.
22 Are xbꞌiꞌtaj we jastaq riꞌ, ri Jesús xeꞌ pa Judea, e rachiꞌl ri utijoxelabꞌ. Chilaꞌ xkꞌojiꞌ wi kebꞌ oxibꞌ qꞌij xubꞌan kiqasanaꞌ ri winaq.
Some time later Jesus and we disciples went to Judea district. He stayed with us there and [directed us as we] baptized people.
23 Xuqujeꞌ ri Juan tajin kubꞌan qasanaꞌ pa ri tinimit Enón, ri kꞌo chuxukut ri tinimit Salín, rumal nim ri jaꞌ ri chilaꞌ. Rumal riꞌ xepe ri winaq, xulkiya kibꞌ rech kabꞌan kan kiqasanaꞌ.
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}.
24 (Xkꞌulmataj we riꞌ are majaꞌ kok ri Juan pa cheꞌ.)
That happened before John was put {they put John} in prison.
25 Kꞌa te riꞌ xchapleꞌtaj jun chꞌoꞌj pa tzij puꞌwiꞌ ri qꞌij rech chꞌajchꞌobꞌen ibꞌ, chikixoꞌl ri utijoxelabꞌ ri Juan rachiꞌl jun achi aj Israel.
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].
26 Ri utijoxelabꞌ ri Juan xeꞌkibꞌij che ri Juan: Ajtij, ri achi ri xopan awukꞌ che ri junmul chꞌaqaꞌp che ri Jordán, ri xaqꞌalajisaj chkiwach ri winaq, tajin kubꞌan qasanaꞌ, e kꞌi winaq tajin koꞌpan rukꞌ.
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]!”
27 Ri Juan xubꞌij chike: Man kꞌo ta jun winaq kakwinik kubꞌan jun jastaq we man are ri Dios kayoꞌw kwinem che chubꞌanik.
John replied, “A person can become [important] only if God [MTY] permits it. [So] we [should not be jealous about Jesus being popular]!
28 Xita ri xinbꞌij: “Man in taj in Cristo, xane xaq xwi xintaq loq nabꞌe choch Areꞌ.”
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.
29 Ri jiꞌatz are qas kꞌo rukꞌ ri alibꞌatz. Ri rech chꞌabꞌeꞌn ri jiꞌatz ri kꞌo chuxukut kakiꞌkotik are kuta ri uchꞌabꞌal ri jiꞌatz. Are waꞌ ri kiꞌkotemal ri kꞌo pa wanimaꞌ in.
[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].
30 Rajawaxik Areꞌ kakꞌiyik, are kꞌu ri in xa kakoꞌpij nukꞌiyem.
It is necessary for Jesus to become more important [by making more disciples than I have], and for me to become less [important].”
31 Ri jun ri kape na chilaꞌ chikaj are kꞌo pa kiwiꞌ kojonel, ri winaq ri ajuwachulew, ajuwachulew riꞌ, are karilij utzijoxik riꞌ ri jastaq rech uwachulew. Ri kape na chilaꞌ chikaj are kꞌo pa kiwiꞌ konojel ri winaq.
[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.
32 Ri kape chilaꞌ chikaj kutzijoj ri rilom xuqujeꞌ utom, man kꞌo ta kꞌu jun katatabꞌen ri kubꞌij.
He tells people what he has seen and what he heard [in heaven], but very few people [HYP] listen to what he says.
33 Ri winaq ri kutatabꞌej ri kubꞌij Areꞌ, kuqꞌalajisaj chi qas tzij ri kubꞌij ri Dios.
Those who have accepted what he has said verify that what God has said is true.
34 Ri utaqoꞌn ri Dios kuqꞌalajisaj ri tzij rech chilaꞌ chikaj rumal cher ri Dios man kuqꞌatej taj uyaꞌik ri Uxlabꞌixel che ri winaq riꞌ.
[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].
35 Ri Tataxel Dios kuloqꞌaj ri Kꞌojolaxel rumal riꞌ ronojel ri jastaq uyaꞌom pa uqꞌabꞌ Areꞌ.
God loves his Son, and has caused him to have control/power over everything.
36 Ri winaq ri kakojon che ri Kꞌojolaxel Dios, kꞌo ukꞌaslemal ri maj ukꞌisik, are kꞌu ri winaq ri karetzelaj ri Kꞌojolaxel Dios man kayaꞌtaj taj ukꞌaslemal xane kaqꞌat na tzij puꞌwiꞌ rumal ri Dios. (aiōnios g166)
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)
