Johane 3
1 Mme ya re bosigo bongwe morago ga lotlatlana, moeteledipele wa tumelo ya Sejuta yo o bidiwang Nikodemo, wa leloko la phuthego ya Bafarasai, a tla go kopa Jesu thuso. A re, “Rra, rotlhe re itse gore Modimo o go romile go tla go re ruta. Dikgakgamatso tsa gago di supa ka botlalo gore o romilwe ke Modimo.”
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a leading man among the Jews.
This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: “Rabbi, we know that you are a Teacher come from God; for no one could give such signs as you are giving, unless God were with him.”
3 Mme Jesu a fetola a re, “Ka tlhoafalo yotlhe e ke nang nayo ke go bolelela se: fa o sa tsalwe sesha, ga o kake wa tsena mo Bogosing jwa Modimo.”
“In truth I tell you,” exclaimed Jesus, “unless a man is reborn, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 Mme Nikodemo a gakgamala a re, “Ke tsalwe gape! O rayang? Motho e ka re e le mogolo o ka boela jang mo sebopelong sa ga mmaagwe gore a tsalwe gape?”
“How can a man,” asked Nicodemus, “be born when he is old? Can he be born a second time?”
5 Mme Jesu a fetola a re, “Se ke se go bolelelang ka tlhoafalo ke se: kwa ntle ga gore motho a tsalwe ka metsi le ka mowa ga a ka ke a tsena mo Bogosing jwa Modimo.
“In truth I tell you,” answered Jesus, “unless a man owes his birth to Water and Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
6 Batho ba ka tsala batho ba bangwe fela, mme Mowa O O Boitshepo o naya botshelo jo bosha jo bo tswang legodimong.
All that owes its birth to human nature is human, and all that owes its birth to the Spirit is spiritual.
7 Jalo he, o se gakgamalele go bua ga me fa ke re o tshwanetse go tsalwa gape!
Do not wonder at my telling you that you all need to be reborn.
8 Fela jaaka o ka utlwa phefo mme o ka seka wa bolela kwa e tswang teng kgotsa kwa e tlaa fokelang teng gape, Mowa o ntse fela jalo. Ga re itse gore o tlaa neela mang botshelo jo, jo bo tswang legodimong.”
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes, or where it goes; it is the same with every one that owes his birth to the Spirit.”
9 Mme Nikodemo a mmotsa a re, “O rayang?”
“How can that be?” asked Nicodemus.
10 Mme Jesu a fetola a re, “O moruti wa Bajuta yo o tlotlegang, mme a ga o ise o tlhaloganye dilo tse? Ke go bolelela se ke se itseng e bile ke se bonye, mme le fa go ntse jalo ga o ise o ntumele.
“What! You a teacher of Israel,” exclaimed Jesus, “and yet do not understand this!
In truth I tell you that we speak of what we know, and state what we have seen; and yet you do not accept our statements.
12 Mme fa o sa ntumele fa ke go bolelela ka ga dilo tse di diragalang fano mo bathong, o ka dumela jang fa ke go bolelela ka tse di diragalang kwa legodimong?
If, when I tell you earthly things, you do not believe me, how will you believe me when I tell you of heavenly things?
13 Gonne ke nna fela, Morwa Motho, yo ke tsileng mo lefatsheng mme ke tlaa boela kwa legodimong gape.
No one has ascended to Heaven, except him who descended from Heaven — the Son of Man himself.
14 “Mme fela jaaka Moshe a ne a tsholetsa setshwantsho sa noga ya kgotlho mo mopakong, le nna ke tshwanetse go tsholediwa fela jalo mo mopakong.
And, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 Gore le fa e le mang yo o dumelang mo go nna a tle a bone botshelo jo bo sa khutleng. (aiōnios g166)
that every one who believes in him may have Immortal Life.” (aiōnios g166)
16 Gonne Modimo o ratile lefatshe mo go kalokalo mo o neng wa ntsha Morwa One a le esi gore le fa e le mang yo o dumelang mo go ene a seka a nyelela mme a bone botshelo jo bo sa khutleng. (aiōnios g166)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that every one who believes in him may not be lost, but have Immortal Life. (aiōnios g166)
17 Modimo ga o wa ka wa romela Morwa One go atlhola lefatshe, fa e se go le boloka.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
18 “Ga go na tshekiso ya bosakhutleng e e emetseng ba ba mo ikanyang go ba boloka. Mme ba ba sa mo ikanyeng ba setse ba sekisitswe ebile ba atlhotswe ka ntlha ya go sa dumeleng mo go morwa Modimo yo o esi.
He who believes in him escapes condemnation, while he who does not believe in him is already condemned, because he has not believed in the only Son of God.
19 Katlholo ya bone e itsetsepetse mo boammaaruring jo: gore Lesedi le le tswang kwa legodimong le tsile mo lefatsheng, mme ba rata lefifi go gaisa Lesedi, gonne ditiro tsa bone di ne di le bosula.
The ground of his condemnation is this, that though the Light has come into the world, men preferred the darkness to the Light, because their actions were wicked.
20 Ba ila Lesedi la legodimo gonne ba ne ba batla go leofa mo lefifing. Ba nna kgakala le Lesedi leo gonne ba ne ba tshaba gore dibe tsa bone di tlaa bewa mo pontsheng, mme ba otlhaiwe.
For he who lives an evil life hates the light, and will not come to it, for fear that his actions should be exposed;
21 Mme ba ba dirang tshiamo, ba tla ka boitumelo mo Leseding gore mongwe le mongwe a bone gore ba dira se Modimo o batlang ba se dira.”
but he who acts up to the truth comes to the light, that his actions may be shown to have been done in dependence upon God.
22 Erile morago, Jesu le barutwa ba gagwe ba tswa mo Jerusalema mme ba nna ka lobakanyana mo Judea ba kolobetsa teng.
After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the country parts of Judea; and there he stayed with them, and baptized.
23 Ka nako e, Johane wa Mokolobetsi o ne a ise a tsenngwe mo kgolegelong. O ne a kolobetsa kwa Ainona gaufi le Salema, gonne go ne go na le metsi a mantsi teng.
John, also, was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there were many streams there; and people were constantly coming and being baptized.
(For John had not yet been imprisoned).
25 Letsatsi lengwe mongwe a simolola go ngangisa barutwa ba ga Johane a ba bolelela gore kolobetso ya ga Jesu ke yone fela e e botoka.
Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew on the subject of ‘purification;’
26 Hong ba tla kwa go Johane ba mo raya ba re, “Rra, monna yo o neng o na nae ka kwa moseja ga Noka ya Jorodane, yo o neng wa re ke Mesia, le ene o a kolobetsa, mme mongwe le mongwe o ya teng mo boemong jwa go tla kwano go rona.”
and the disciples came to John and said: “Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, and to whom you have yourself borne testimony — he, also, is baptizing, and everybody is going to him.”
27 Johane a fetola a re, “Modimo kwa legodimong o tlhoma tiro ya mongwe le mongwe.
John’s answer was — “A man can gain nothing but what is given him from Heaven.
28 Tiro ya me ke go betlela monna yoo tsela gore mongwe le mongwe a tle a ye kwa go ene. Le lona tota lo itse ka fa ke lo boleletseng sentle ka teng gore ga ke Mesia. Ke fano go mmaakanyetsa tsela, ke gone gotlhe.
You are yourselves witnesses that I said ‘I am not the Christ,’ but ‘I have been sent before him as a Messenger.’
29 Ka tlwaelo bontsintsi bo ya kwa go se se gapang maikutlo, monyadiwa o ya kwa monyadi o teng! Ditsala tsa monyadi di itumela nae. Ke tsala ya monyadi, mme ke tletse boitumelo mo tswelelong pele ya gagwe.
It is the bridegroom who has the bride; but the bridegroom’s friend, who stands by and listens to him, is filled with joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This joy I have felt to the full.
30 O tshwanetse go tlotlega thata, mme nna ke tshwanetse go ngotlafala thata.
He must become greater, and I less.”
31 O tswa legodimong ebile o mogolo mo go mongwe le mongwe. Nna ke wa lefatshe, mme tlhaloganyo ya me e lekaganyeditswe mo dilong tsa lefatshe fela.
He who comes from above is above all others; but a child of earth is earthly, and his teaching is earthly, too. He who comes from Heaven is above all others.
32 O bolela se a se bonyeng le se a se utlwileng, mme ke ba se kae fela ba ba dumelang se a se ba bolelelang!
He states what he has seen and what he heard, and yet no one accepts his statement.
33 “Ba ba mo dumelang ba bona gore Modimo ke motswedi wa boammaaruri. Gonne yo, yo o romilweng ke Modimo, ebile o bua mafoko a Modimo, gonne Mowa wa Modimo o mo go ene mo go senang selekanyo.
They who did accept his statement attested the fact that God is true.
For he whom God sent as his Messenger gives us God’s own teaching, for God does not limit the gift of the Spirit.
35 Rara o rata monna yo gonne ke Morwae, mme Modimo o mo neile sengwe le sengwe se se leng teng.
The Father loves his Son, and has put everything in his hands.
36 Mme botlhe ba ba dumelang Morwa Modimo go ba boloka, ba na le botshelo jo bo sa khutleng; ba ba sa mo dumeleng ebile ba sa mo reetse ga ba kitla ba bona legodimo, mme bogale jwa Modimo bo ntse mo go bone.” (aiōnios g166)
He who believes in the Son has Immortal Life, while he who rejects the Son will not even see that Life, but remains under ‘God’s displeasure.’ (aiōnios g166)
