John 3
1 Now there was a Pharisee whose name was Nicodemus, a Jewish leader.
Now there was among the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the rulers of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher that came from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we are certain that you have come from God as a teacher, because no man would be able to do these signs which you do if God was not with him.
3 Jesus replied to him, “Truly, truly, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?”
Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for a man to be given birth when he is old? Is he able to go into his mother's body a second time and come to birth again?
5 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man's birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Do not be surprised that I say to you, It is necessary for you to have a second birth.
8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus replied and said to him, “How can these things be?”
And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be?
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
And Jesus, answering, said, Are you the teacher of Israel and have no knowledge of these things?
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. Yet you do not accept our testimony.
Truly, I say to you, We say that of which we have knowledge; we give witness of what we have seen; and you do not take our witness to be true.
12 If I told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven?
13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
And no one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of man.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
As the snake was lifted up by Moses in the waste land, even so it is necessary for the Son of man to be lifted up:
So that whoever has faith may have in him eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to condemn the world, but in order to save the world through him.
God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him.
18 He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God.
19 This is the reason for the judgment: The light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.
And this is the test by which men are judged: the light has come into the world and men have more love for the dark than for the light, because their acts are evil.
20 For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.
The light is hated by everyone whose acts are evil and he does not come to the light for fear that his acts will be seen.
21 However, he who practices the truth comes to the light so that it may be plainly seen that his deeds have been done in God.”
But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God.
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. There he spent some time with them and baptized.
After these things Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judaea, and there he was with them for some time, giving baptism.
23 Now John was also baptizing in Aenon near to Salim because there was much water there. People were coming to him and were being baptized,
Now John was then giving baptism at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were given baptism.
24 for John had not yet been thrown in prison.
For at this time John had not been put into prison.
25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and a Jew about ceremonial washing.
Then a question came up between John's disciples and a Jew about washing.
26 They went to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, about whom you have testified, look, he is baptizing, and they are all going to him.”
And they went to John and said to him, Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the man to whom you gave witness, is now giving baptism, and everyone is going to him.
27 John replied, “A man cannot receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.
And this was John's answer: A man is unable to have anything if it is not given to him from heaven.
28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but instead, 'I have been sent before him.'
You yourselves give witness that I said, I am not the Christ. What I said was, I am sent before the Christ.
29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. Now the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. This, then, is my joy made complete.
He who has the bride is the husband: but the husband's friend, whose place is by his side and whose ears are open to him, is full of joy because of the husband's voice: such is my joy, and it is complete.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
He has to become greater while I become less.
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and speaks about the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
He who comes from heaven is greater than all others: he who comes from earth is of the earth, and of the earth are his words: he who comes from heaven is over all.
32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
He gives witness of what he has seen and of what has come to his ears; and no man takes his witness as true.
33 He who has received his testimony has confirmed that God is true.
He who so takes his witness has made clear his faith that God is true.
34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For he does not give the Spirit by measure.
For he whom God has sent says God's words; and God does not give him the Spirit by measure.
35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
The Father has love for the Son and has put all things into his hands.
