Iohannem 3
1 Erat autem homo ex pharisæis, Nicodemus nomine, princeps Judæorum.
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a leading man among his people.
2 Hic venit ad Jesum nocte, et dixit ei: Rabbi, scimus quia a Deo venisti magister, nemo enim potest hæc signa facere, quæ tu facis, nisi fuerit Deus cum eo.
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 Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Amen, amen dico tibi, nisi quis renatus fuerit denuo, non potest videre regnum Dei.
‘In truth I tell you,’ exclaimed Jesus, ‘unless a person is reborn, they cannot see the kingdom of God.’
4 Dicit ad eum Nicodemus: Quomodo potest homo nasci, cum sit senex? numquid potest in ventrem matris suæ iterato introire et renasci?
‘How can a person,’ asked Nicodemus, ‘be born when they are old? Can they be born a second time?’
5 Respondit Jesus: Amen, amen dico tibi, nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua, et Spiritu Sancto, non potest introire in regnum Dei.
‘In truth I tell you,’ answered Jesus, ‘unless a person owes their birth to water and Spirit, they cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 Quod natum est ex carne, caro est: et quod natum est ex spiritu, spiritus est.
All that owes its birth to human nature is human, and all that owes its birth to the Spirit is spiritual.
7 Non mireris quia dixi tibi: oportet vos nasci denuo.
Do not wonder at my telling you that you all need to be reborn.
8 Spiritus ubi vult spirat, et vocem ejus audis, sed nescis unde veniat, aut quo vadat: sic est omnis qui natus est ex spiritu.
The wind blows wherever it wants, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from, or where it goes; it is the same with everyone who owes his birth to the Spirit.’
9 Respondit Nicodemus, et dixit ei: Quomodo possunt hæc fieri?
‘How can that be?’ asked Nicodemus.
10 Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Tu es magister in Israël, et hæc ignoras?
‘What! You a teacher of Israel,’ exclaimed Jesus, ‘and yet do not understand this!
11 amen, amen dico tibi, quia quod scimus loquimur, et quod vidimus testamur, et testimonium nostrum non accipitis.
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 Si terrena dixi vobis, et non creditis: quomodo, si dixero vobis cælestia, credetis?
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 Et nemo ascendit in cælum, nisi qui descendit de cælo, Filius hominis, qui est in cælo.
No one has ascended to heaven, except him who descended from heaven – the Son of Man himself.
14 Et sicut Moyses exaltavit serpentem in deserto, ita exaltari oportet Filium hominis:
And, as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.’ (aiōnios g166)
16 Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret: ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam. (aiōnios g166)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
17 Non enim misit Deus Filium suum in mundum, ut judicet mundum, sed ut salvetur mundus per ipsum.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.
18 Qui credit in eum, non judicatur; qui autem non credit, jam judicatus est: quia non credit in nomine unigeniti Filii Dei.
The person who believes in him escapes condemnation, while the person who does not believe in him is already condemned, because they have not believed in the only Son of God.
19 Hoc est autem judicium: quia lux venit in mundum, et dilexerunt homines magis tenebras quam lucem: erant enim eorum mala opera.
The ground of their condemnation is this, that though the light has come into the world, people preferred the darkness to the light, because their actions were wicked.
20 Omnis enim qui male agit, odit lucem, et non venit ad lucem, ut non arguantur opera ejus:
For the person who lives an evil life hates the light, and will not come to it, fearing that their actions will be exposed;
21 qui autem facit veritatem, venit ad lucem, ut manifestentur opera ejus, quia in Deo sunt facta.
but the person who lives by the truth comes into the light, so it can be clearly seen that God is in all they do.
22 Post hæc venit Jesus et discipuli ejus in terram Judæam: et illic demorabatur cum eis, et baptizabat.
After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the country parts of Judea; and there he stayed with them, and baptized.
23 Erat autem et Joannes baptizans, in Ænnon, juxta Salim: quia aquæ multæ erant illic, et veniebant et baptizabantur.
John, also, was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there were many streams there; and people were constantly coming and being baptized.
24 Nondum enim missus fuerat Joannes in carcerem.
(For John had not yet been imprisoned).
25 Facta est autem quæstio ex discipulis Joannis cum Judæis de purificatione.
Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a fellow Jew on the subject of purification;
26 Et venerunt ad Joannem, et dixerunt ei: Rabbi, qui erat tecum trans Jordanem, cui tu testimonium perhibuisti, ecce hic baptizat, et omnes veniunt ad eum.
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 Respondit Joannes, et dixit: Non potest homo accipere quidquam, nisi fuerit ei datum de cælo.
John’s answer was – ‘A person can gain nothing but what is given them from heaven.
28 Ipsi vos mihi testimonium perhibetis, quod dixerim: Non sum ego Christus: sed quia missus sum ante illum.
You are yourselves witnesses that I said “I am not the Christ,” but “I have been sent before him as a messenger.”
29 Qui habet sponsam, sponsus est: amicus autem sponsi, qui stat, et audit eum, gaudio gaudet propter vocem sponsi. Hoc ergo gaudium meum impletum est.
It is the groom who has the bride; but the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens to him, is filled with joy when he hears the groom’s voice. This joy I have felt to the full.
30 Illum oportet crescere, me autem minui.
He must become greater, and I less.’
31 Qui desursum venit, super omnes est. Qui est de terra, de terra est, et de terra loquitur. Qui de cælo venit, super omnes est.
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 Et quod vidit, et audivit, hoc testatur: et testimonium ejus nemo accipit.
He states what he has seen and what he heard, and yet no one accepts his statement.
33 Qui accepit ejus testimonium signavit, quia Deus verax est.
They who did accept his statement confirm the fact that God is true.
34 Quem enim misit Deus, verba Dei loquitur: non enim ad mensuram dat Deus spiritum.
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 Pater diligit Filium et omnia dedit in manu ejus.
The Father loves his Son, and has put everything in his hands.
36 Qui credit in Filium, habet vitam æternam; qui autem incredulus est Filio, non videbit vitam, sed ira Dei manet super eum. (aiōnios g166)
The person who believes in the Son has eternal life, while a person who rejects the Son will not even see that life, but remains under God’s displeasure. (aiōnios g166)
