Evanðelje po Ivanu 3

Isus i Nikodem

1 Jedne noći ugledni židovski vjerski vođa po imenu Nikodem, farizej,

2 dođe razgovarati s Isusom. "Učitelju", reče on, "svi znamo da te je Bog poslao da nas poučiš. Tvoja su čuda dovoljan dokaz za to jer nitko ne može činiti takva djela ako Bog nije s njim."
3 Isus mu odgovori: "Zaista ti kažem - tko se nanovo ne rodi odozgor, nikada neće vidjeti Božjega kraljevstva."4 "Pa kako se čovjek može nanovo roditi kad je već star? Ne može se odrastao čovjek vratiti u majčinu utrobu i nanovo se roditi!" reče mu Nikodem.5 Isus odgovori: "Zaista ti kažem: ne rodi li se čovjek iz vode i Duha, ne može ući u Božje kraljevstvo.6 Ljudi mogu dati samo ljudski život, ali Sveti Duh rađa novi život s neba;7 nemoj se zato čuditi što ti kažem da se morate nanovo roditi odozgora.

8 Kao što čuješ vjetar a ne znaš odakle dolazi ni kamo ide, tako je sa svakim tko je rođen od Duha."
9 "Kako je to moguće?" upita Nikodem.10 Isus mu odgovori: "Pa ti si židovski učitelj, a to ne razumiješ!11 Zaista ti kažem: govorimo ono što znamo i svjedočimo o onome što smo vidjeli, a ipak nam ne vjerujete.12 Ako mi ne vjerujete kad vam govorim o onome što se događa ovdje na zemlji, kako ćete mi vjerovati budem li vam govorio što se zbiva na nebu?13 Jer nitko nije uzišao na nebo osim Sina Čovječjega, koji je s neba sišao.14 I kao što je Mojsije u pustinji podignuo zmiju od mjedi, tako i ja, Sin Čovječji, moram biti uzdignut

15 da svatko tko povjeruje u mene ima vječni život.
16 Bog je toliko volio svijet da je dao svojega jedinorođenog Sina da nijedan koji u njega vjeruje ne pogine, nego da ima vječni život.

17 Jer Bog nije poslao svojega Sina na svijet da svijet osudi, nego da se svijet spasi po njemu.
18 Neće biti suda za one koji vjeruju u njega. Ali oni koji u njega ne vjeruju već su osuđeni jer nisu vjerovali u jedinoga Božjeg Sina.19 Osuđeni su zbog ovoga: svjetlo je došlo s neba na svijet, ali su ljudi više voljeli tamu nego svjetlo jer su im djela bila zla.20 Oni mrze svjetlo jer žele griješiti u tami. Klone se svjetla da se njihovi grijesi ne razotkriju i da ne budu kažnjeni.

21 Ali oni koji čine istinu rado dolaze k svjetlu da se vidi kako čine ono što Bog od njih traži."

Ivan Krstitelj iskazuje čast Isusu

22 Nakon toga Isus sa svojim učenicima ode u pokrajinu Judeju. Tu se s njima zadržao neko vrijeme i krstio.23 U to je vrijeme Ivan Krstitelj krstio ljude u Enonu, blizu Salima, jer ondje bijaše mnogo vode, a ljudi su dolazili k njemu da ih krsti.24 Bilo je to prije nego što su Ivana bacili u tamnicu.25 Neki se Židov počne s Ivanovim učenicima prepirati oko krštenja.

26 Oni zato dođu k Ivanu te mu rekoše: "Učitelju, onaj kojega si susreo na drugoj strani Jordana - onaj za kojega si rekao da je Krist - također krsti pa svi odlaze onamo umjesto k nama."
27 Ivan odgovori: "Nitko ne može ništa činiti ako mu to s neba nije dopušteno.28 Moj je posao pripraviti put tom čovjeku, tako da svi idu k njemu. Znate da sam vam otvoreno rekao da ja nisam Krist i da sam tu samo da mu pripravim put.29 Mnoštvo ide za onime što ga najviše privlači - mladenka će ondje gdje joj je mladoženja. Njegovi prijatelji, koji su uz njega, s njime se vesele. Ja sam mladoženjin prijatelj i moja je radost upravo postala potpunom.

30 On treba sve više rasti, a ja se sve više umanjivati.
31 On je došao s neba i veći je od sviju. Ja sam sa zemlje, pa je moje shvaćanje ograničeno na zemaljske stvari. Jer tko dolazi s neba, on je iznad svih!32 On svjedoči o onome što je vidio i čuo, a tako malo ih vjeruje što im govori.33 Oni pak koji su povjerovali njegovu svjedočanstvu, potvrđuju da je Bog istinit.34 On je poslan od Boga, govori Božje riječi, jer je Božji Duh na njemu bez mjere.35 Otac voli svojeg Sina i predao mu je vlast nad svime.

36 Svi koji se pouzdaju u Božjega Sina da ih spasi imaju vječni život, a oni koji ga ne slušaju neće nikada imati vječni život, već gnjev Božji ostaje na njima."

John 3

Conversation with Nicodemus

1 Now a certain man, a Pharisees named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council,t2 came to Jesust at nightts and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signss that you do unless God is with him.”3 Jesus replied,t “I tell you the solemn truth,t unless a person is born from above,ts he cannot see the kingdom of God.”s

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?”t
5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth,t unless a person is born of water and spirit,ts he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 What is born of the flesh is flesh,s and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must allt be born from above.’t

8 The windt blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”s
9 Nicodemus replied,t “How can these things be?”s10 Jesus answered,t “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things?s11 I tell you the solemn truth,t we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, butt you peoplet do not accept our testimony.s12 If I have told you peoplet about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?s13 No onet has ascendeds into heaven except the one who descended from heaven – the Son of Man.ss14 Just ast Moses lifted up the serpentsin the wilderness,s so must the Son of Man be lifted up,s

15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”ts
16 For this is the wayts God loved the world: He gave his one and onlyt Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perisht but have eternal life.s17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,s but that the world should be saved through him.18 The one who believes in him is not condemned.t The one who does not believe has been condemnedt already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and onlyt Son of God.19 Now this is the basis for judging:t that the light has come into the world and peoplet loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.

21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God.s

Further Testimony About Jesus by John the Baptist

22 After this,t Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing.23 Johns was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim,t because water was plentiful there, and people were comingt to himt and being baptized.

24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)s
25 Now a dispute came about between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jewst concerning ceremonial washing.ts

26 So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River,t about whom you testified – see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”
27 John replied,t “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ts but rather, ‘I have been sent before him.’29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatlyt when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete.t

30 He must become more important while I become less important.”s
31 The one who comes from above is superior to all.t The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.t The one who comes from heavens is superior to all.st32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.33 The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful.t34 For the one whom God has sentt speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly.t35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority.t

36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejectst the Son will not see life, but God’s wratht remainst on him.