Yohana 3
1 Basi palikuwa na mtu mmoja Farisayo, jina lake Nikodemo, mmoja wa Baraza la Wayahudi lililotawala.
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2 Huyu alimjia Yesu usiku akamwambia, “Rabi, tunajua kuwa wewe ni mwalimu uliyetumwa na Mungu, kwa maana hakuna mtu awezaye kufanya miujiza hii uifanyayo wewe, kama Mungu hayuko pamoja naye.”
He came at night to where Jesus was and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God, for nobody could do the miraculous signs you're doing unless God was with him.”
3 Yesu akamjibu, “Amin, amin nakuambia, hakuna mtu anayeweza kuuona Ufalme wa Mungu kama hajazaliwa mara ya pili.”
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “Unless you are reborn, you can't experience God's kingdom.”
4 Nikodemo akauliza, “Awezaje mtu kuzaliwa wakati akiwa mzee? Hakika hawezi kuingia mara ya pili kwenye tumbo la mama yake ili azaliwe!”
“How can you be reborn when you're old?” Nicodemus asked. “You can't go back into your mother's womb and be born a second time!”
5 Yesu akamwambia, “Amin, amin nakuambia, hakuna mtu yeyote anayeweza kuingia Ufalme wa Mungu kama hajazaliwa kwa maji na kwa Roho.
“I tell you the truth, you can't enter God's kingdom unless you are born of water and the Spirit,” Jesus told him.
6 Mwili huzaa mwili, lakini Roho huzaa roho.
“What's born of the flesh is flesh, and what's born of the Spirit is Spirit.
7 Kwa hiyo usishangae ninapokuambia huna budi ‘kuzaliwa mara ya pili.’
Don't be surprised at my telling you, ‘You must be reborn.’
8 Upepo huvuma popote upendapo. Mvumo wake unausikia lakini huwezi ukafahamu utokako wala uendako. Ndivyo ilivyo kwa kila mtu aliyezaliwa na Roho.”
The wind blows wherever it wants, and just as you hear the sound it makes, but don't know where it's coming from or where it's going, that's how it is for everyone who is born of the spirit.”
9 Nikodemo akamuuliza, “Mambo haya yanawezekanaje?”
“How is this possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Yesu akamwambia, “Wewe ni mwalimu mashuhuri wa Waisraeli, nawe huelewi mambo haya?
“You're a famous teacher in Israel, and yet you don't understand such things?” Jesus replied.
11 Amin, amin ninakuambia, sisi tunazungumza lile tunalolijua na tunashuhudia lile tuliloliona. Lakini ninyi watu hamkubali ushuhuda wetu.
“I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and give evidence regarding what we have seen, but you refuse to accept our testimony.
12 Nimewaambia mambo ya duniani, nanyi hamkuniamini, mtaniaminije basi nitakapowaambia mambo ya mbinguni?
If you don't trust what I say when I tell you about earthly things, how would you ever trust what I say if I were to tell you about heavenly things?
13 Hakuna mtu yeyote aliyekwenda mbinguni isipokuwa yeye aliyeshuka kutoka mbinguni, yaani, Mwana wa Adamu.
No one has gone up to heaven, but the Son of man came down from heaven.
14 Kama vile Mose alivyomwinua yule nyoka kule jangwani, vivyo hivyo Mwana wa Adamu hana budi kuinuliwa juu.
Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of man must be lifted up,
that everyone who trusts in him will have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
16 “Kwa maana jinsi hii Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu hata akamtoa Mwanawe wa pekee, ili kila mtu amwaminiye asipotee, bali awe na uzima wa milele. (aiōnios g166)
For God loved the world, and this is how: he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who trusts in him shouldn't die, but have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
17 Kwa maana Mungu hakumtuma Mwanawe kuuhukumu ulimwengu, bali kupitia kwake ulimwengu upate kuokolewa.
God didn't send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Yeyote amwaminiye hahukumiwi, lakini asiyeamini amekwisha kuhukumiwa, kwa sababu hakuliamini jina la Mwana pekee wa Mungu.
Those who trust in him are not condemned, while those who don't trust in him are condemned already because they didn't trust in the one and only Son of God.
19 Hii ndiyo hukumu kwamba: Nuru imekuja ulimwenguni, nao watu wakapenda giza kuliko nuru kwa sababu matendo yao ni maovu.
This is how the decision is made: the light came to the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light, for their actions were evil.
20 Kwa kuwa kila atendaye maovu huchukia nuru, wala haji kwenye nuru ili matendo yake maovu yasifichuliwe.
All those who do evil hate the light and don't come into the light, because they don't want their actions to be exposed.
21 Lakini yule aishiye kwa ukweli huja kwenye nuru, ili ionekane wazi kwamba matendo yake yametendeka katika Mungu.”
But those who do good come into the light, so that what God accomplishes in them can be revealed.”
22 Baada ya haya, Yesu na wanafunzi wake walikwenda katika nchi ya Uyahudi, nao wakakaa huko kwa muda na kubatiza.
After this Jesus and his disciples went into Judea and spent some time with the people, baptizing them.
23 Yohana naye alikuwa akibatiza huko Ainoni karibu na Salimu kwa sababu huko kulikuwa na maji tele. Watu wazima wakamjia huko ili kubatizwa.
John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there and people kept coming to be baptized.
24 (Hii ilikuwa kabla Yohana hajatiwa gerezani).
(This was before John was imprisoned.)
25 Mashindano yakazuka kati ya baadhi ya wanafunzi wa Yohana na Myahudi mmoja kuhusu suala la desturi ya kunawa kwa utakaso.
An argument developed between John's disciples and a Jew over ceremonial purification.
26 Wakamwendea Yohana wakamwambia, “Rabi, yule mtu aliyekuwa pamoja nawe ngʼambo ya Mto Yordani, yule uliyeshuhudia habari zake, sasa anabatiza na kila mtu anamwendea!”
They went to John and told him, “Rabbi, the man you were with on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you testified in support of—see, now he's baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”
27 Yohana akawajibu, “Hakuna mtu yeyote awezaye kupata kitu chochote isipokuwa kile tu alichopewa kutoka mbinguni.
“No one receives anything unless they're given it from heaven,” John replied.
28 Ninyi wenyewe ni mashahidi wangu kwamba nilisema, ‘Mimi si Kristo, ila nimetumwa nimtangulie.’
“You yourselves can testify that I declared, ‘I'm not the Messiah. I've been sent to prepare his way.’
29 Bibi arusi ni wa bwana arusi. Lakini rafiki yake bwana arusi anayesimama karibu naye na kusikiliza kutoka kwake, hufurahi sana aisikiapo sauti ya bwana arusi. Kwa sababu hii furaha yangu imekamilika.
The bridegroom is the one who has the bride! The best man waits, listening for the bridegroom, and is so happy when he hears the bridegroom's voice—in the same way my happiness is now complete.
30 Yeye hana budi kuwa mkuu zaidi na mimi nizidi kuwa mdogo.”
He must become more important, and I must become less important.”
31 “Yeye ajaye kutoka juu yu juu ya yote, yeye aliye wa duniani ni wa dunia, naye huzungumza mambo ya duniani. Yeye aliyekuja kutoka mbinguni, yu juu ya yote.
He who comes from above is greater than all; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about earthly things. He who comes from heaven is greater than all.
32 Yeye hushuhudia yale aliyoyaona na kuyasikia, lakini hakuna yeyote anayekubali ushuhuda wake.
He gives evidence about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he has to say.
33 Lakini yeyote anayekubali huo ushuhuda anathibitisha kwamba, Mungu ni kweli.
Yet anyone who accepts what he says confirms that God is truthful.
34 Yeye aliyetumwa na Mungu husema maneno ya Mungu, kwa kuwa Mungu humtoa Roho pasipo kipimo.
For the one God sent speaks God's words, because God doesn't restrict the Spirit.
35 Baba anampenda Mwana, naye ametia vitu vyote mikononi mwake.
The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36 Yeyote anayemwamini Mwana ana uzima wa milele, lakini yeye asiyemwamini Mwana hatauona uzima, bali ghadhabu ya Mungu itakuwa juu yake.” (aiōnios g166)
Anyone who trusts in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to trust the Son will not experience eternal life but remains under God's condemnation. (aiōnios g166)
