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.

JOHN 3

Jesus and Nicodemus

1 There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader.

2 One night he went to Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles, unless God were with you.”

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from abovet before you can see God's kingdom!”

4 Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”

5 Jesus answered:
I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. 6 Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God. 7 Don't be surprised when I say that you must be born from above.

8 Only God's Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied:
How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11 I tell you for certain we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say.

12 t If you don't believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?
13  t No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14 t And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as the metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert.t

15 Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.
16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!

18 No one who has faith in God's Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn't have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God's only Son.
19 The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. 20 People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done.

21 But everyone who lives by the truth will come to the light, because they want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do.

Jesus and John the Baptist

22 Later, Jesus and his disciples went to Judea, where he stayed with them for a while and was baptizing people.

23-24  t John had not yet been put in jail. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was a lot of water, and people were coming there for John to baptize them.
25 John's followers got into an argument with a Jewish mant about a ceremony of washing.t

26 They went to John and said, “Rabbi, you spoke about a man when you were with him east of the Jordan. He is now baptizing people, and everyone is going to him.”

27 John replied:
No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it.

28 t You surely remember how I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him.
29 At a wedding the groom is the one who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the groom's voice. That's why I am so glad.

30 Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.

The One Who Comes //from Heaven

34 The Son was sent to speak God's message, and he has been given the full power of God's Spirit.
35  t The Father loves the Son and has given him everything. 36 Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life. But no one who rejects him will ever share in that life, and God will be angry with them forever.