Juan 3
1 Había entre los fariseos un hombre llamado Nicodemo, que era uno de los gobernantes de los judíos.
There was a man named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish religious council. He belonged to the Pharisee [religious sect].
2 Vino por la noche a Jesús y le dijo: Rabí, estamos seguros de que has venido de Dios como maestro, porque ningún hombre podrá hacer estas señales que tú haces si Dios no estuviera con él.
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 Jesús le dijo: En verdad, te digo que, sin un nuevo nacimiento, nadie puede ver el reino de 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 Nicodemo le dijo: ¿Cómo es posible que un hombre nazca cuando sea viejo? ¿Pudo ir al cuerpo de su madre una segunda vez y volver a nacer?
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 Jesús dijo en respuesta: En verdad, te digo, si el nacimiento de un hombre no proviene del agua y del Espíritu, no le es posible entrar en el reino de 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 Lo que tiene nacimiento de la carne es carne, y lo que nace del Espíritu es espíritu.
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 No te sorprendas si te digo, es necesario que tengas un segundo nacimiento.
Do not be surprised about my telling you that you must be born again [and have a new life from God].
8 El viento va donde le place, y el sonido llega a tus oídos, pero no puedes decir de dónde viene y hacia dónde va: así es con todos los que nacen del Espíritu.
[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 Y Nicodemo le dijo: ¿Cómo es posible que estas cosas sean?
Nicodemus replied to him, “How can that happen?”
10 Y Jesús, respondiendo, dijo: ¿Eres tú el maestro de Israel y no tienes conocimiento de estas cosas?
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 Verdaderamente, te digo: decimos aquello de lo que tenemos conocimiento; damos testimonio de lo que hemos visto; pero ustedes no creen en nuestro testimonio.
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 Si no tienes fe cuando mis palabras son sobre las cosas de la tierra, ¿cómo creerán si mis palabras son sobre las cosas del cielo?
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 Y nadie subió al cielo, sino el que descendió del cielo, el Hijo del Hombre.
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 Como la serpiente fue levantada por Moisés en la tierra baldía, así también es necesario que el Hijo del hombre sea levantado:
[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 Porque Dios tuvo tal amor por el mundo que le dio a su único Hijo, para que todo el que tenga fe en él no muera, sino que tenga vida eterna. (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 Dios no envió a su Hijo al mundo para ser juez del mundo; lo envió para que el mundo pueda tener salvación a través de él.
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 El hombre que tiene fe en él no viene a ser juzgado; pero el que no tiene fe en él ha sido juzgado incluso ahora, porque no tiene fe en el nombre del único Hijo de 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 Y esta es la prueba por la cual los hombres son juzgados: la luz ha venido al mundo y los hombres tienen más amor por la oscuridad que por la luz, porque sus actos son malos.
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 La luz es odiada por todos aquellos cuyos actos son malos y él no viene a la luz por temor a que sus actos sean vistos.
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 Pero aquel cuya vida es verdadera sale a la luz, para que se vea claramente que sus actos han sido hechos con la ayuda de 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 Después de estas cosas, Jesús y sus discípulos fueron a la tierra de Judea, y allí estuvo con ellos por un tiempo, dando el bautismo.
Some time later Jesus and we disciples went to Judea district. He stayed with us there and [directed us as we] baptized people.
23 Ahora Juan estaba bautizando en Enón, cerca de Salim, porque allí había mucha agua; y la gente vino y se les dio el bautismo.
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 Porque en este momento Juan no había sido encarcelado.
That happened before John was put {they put John} in prison.
25 Entonces surgió una pregunta entre los discípulos de Juan y un judío acerca de la purificación.
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 Y fueron a Juan y le dijeron: Rabí, el hombre que estaba contigo al otro lado del Jordán, el hombre de quien tú testificastes, ahora está dando el bautismo, y todos irán a él.
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 Y esta fue la respuesta de Juan: Un hombre no puede tener nada si no le es dado desde el cielo.
John replied, “A person can become [important] only if God [MTY] permits it. [So] we [should not be jealous about Jesus being popular]!
28 Ustedes dan testimonio de lo que dije, no soy el Cristo. Lo que dije fue que fui enviado ante Cristo.
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 El que tiene la novia es el marido; pero el amigo del marido, cuyo lugar está a su lado y cuyos oídos están abiertos para él, está lleno de alegría por la voz del esposo: tal es mi alegría, y está completa.
[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 Él tiene que volverse más grande mientras yo me vuelvo menos.
It is necessary for Jesus to become more important [by making more disciples than I have], and for me to become less [important].”
31 El que viene del cielo es más grande que todos los demás: el que viene de la tierra es de la tierra, y de la tierra son sus palabras; el que viene del cielo, sobre todos es.
[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 Da testimonio de lo que ha visto y de lo que ha llegado a sus oídos; y ningún hombre toma su testimonio como verdadero.
He tells people what he has seen and what he heard [in heaven], but very few people [HYP] listen to what he says.
33 El que así toma su testimonio ha dejado clara su fe de que Dios es verdadero.
Those who have accepted what he has said verify that what God has said is true.
34 Porque aquel a quien Dios ha enviado dice las palabras de Dios; y Dios no le da el Espíritu por medida.
[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 El Padre tiene amor por el Hijo y ha puesto todas las cosas en sus manos.
God loves his Son, and has caused him to have control/power over everything.
36 El que tiene fe en el Hijo tiene vida eterna; pero el que no tiene fe en el Hijo no tendrá esa vida; La ira de Dios descansa sobre él. (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)
