John 3
3
Nicodemus Comes to Jesus
1There was a man named Nicodemus who was one of the Pharisees and an important Jewish leader. 2One night Nicodemus came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we know you are a teacher sent from God, because no one can do the miracles you do unless God is with him.”
3Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot be in God’s kingdom.”
4Nicodemus said, “But if a person is already old, how can he be born again? He cannot enter his mother’s womb again. So how can a person be born a second time?”
5But Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born from water and the Spirit, you cannot enter God’s kingdom. 6Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit. 7Don’t be surprised when I tell you, ‘You must all be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wants to and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it is going. It is the same with every person who is born from the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus asked, “How can this happen?”
10Jesus said, “You are an important teacher in Israel, and you don’t understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we talk about what we know, and we tell about what we have seen, but you don’t accept what we tell you. 12I have told you about things here on earth, and you do not believe me. So you will not believe me if I tell you about things of heaven. 13The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man.
14“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, the Son of Man must also be lifted up. 15So that everyone who believes can have eternal life in him.
16“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. 17God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. 18People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty, because they have not believed in God’s one and only Son. 19They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. 20All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do. 21But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done through God.”
Jesus and John the Baptist
22After this, Jesus and his followers went into the area of Judea, where he stayed with his followers and baptized people. 23John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were going there to be baptized. 24(This was before John was put into prison.)
25Some of John’s followers had an argument with a Jew about religious washing. 26So they came to John and said, “Teacher, remember the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you spoke about so much? He is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27John answered, “A man can get only what God gives him. 28You yourselves heard me say, ‘I am not the Christ, but I am the one sent to prepare the way for him.’ 29The bride belongs only to the bridegroom. But the friend who helps the bridegroom stands by and listens to him. He is thrilled that he gets to hear the bridegroom’s voice. In the same way, I am really happy. 30He must become greater, and I must become less important.
The One Who Comes from Heaven
31“The One who comes from above is greater than all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about things on the earth. But the One who comes from heaven is greater than all. 32He tells what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he says. 33Whoever accepts what he says has proven that God is true. 34The One whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God gives him the Spirit fully. 35The Father loves the Son and has given him power over everything. 36Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who do not obey the Son will never have life. God’s anger stays on them.”
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John 3: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
S. John 3
3
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2The same came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things? 11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and bear witness of that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12If I told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you heavenly things? 13And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the judgement, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. 20For every one that doeth ill hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. 21But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.
22After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. 23And John also was baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 24For John was not yet cast into prison. 25There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purifying. 26And they came unto John, and said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. 27John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. 28Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him. 29He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease. 31He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaketh: he that cometh from heaven is above all. 32What he hath seen and heard, of that he beareth witness; and no man receiveth his witness. 33He that hath received his witness hath set his seal to this, that God is true. 34For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for he giveth not the Spirit by measure. 35The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 36He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
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historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society