John 3
3
Jesus and Nicodemus
1There was a man named Nicodemus who was one of the Pharisees. He was an important Jewish leader. 2One night Nicodemus came to Jesus. He said, “Teacher, we know that you are a teacher sent from God. 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 man is already old, how can he be born again? He cannot enter his mother’s body again. So how can he 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. 6A person’s body is born from his human parents. But a person’s spiritual life is born from the Spirit. 7Don’t be surprised when I tell you, ‘You must all be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wants to go. You hear the wind blow. 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 all this be possible?”
10Jesus said, “You are an important teacher in Israel. But you still don’t understand these things? 11I tell you the truth. We talk about what we know. 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, but you do not believe me. So surely you will not believe me if I tell you about the 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.# Some Greek copies continue, “who is in heaven.”
14“Moses lifted up the snake in the desert.# The people of Israel were dying from snake bites. God told Moses to put a bronze snake on a pole. The people who looked at the snake were healed (Numbers 21:4–9). It is the same with the Son of Man. The Son of Man must be lifted up too. 15Then everyone who believes in him can have eternal life.
16“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his 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. 18He who believes in God’s Son is not judged guilty. He who does not believe has already been judged guilty, because he has not believed in God’s only Son. 19People are judged by this fact: I am the Light from God that has come into the world. But men did not want light. They wanted darkness because they were doing evil things. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light. He will not come to the light because it will show all the evil things he has done. 21But he who follows the true way comes to the light. Then the light will show that the things he has done were done through God.”
Jesus and John the Baptist
22After this, Jesus and his followers went into the area of Judea. There Jesus 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.# The Jews washed themselves in special ways before eating, before worshiping in the Temple, and at other special times. 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? 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. I am only the one God sent to prepare the way for him.’ 29The bride belongs only to the bridegroom. The friend who helps the bridegroom waits and listens for him. He is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That is the same pleasure I have. And my time of joy is now here. 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. He 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. 33The person who accepts what he says has proven that God is true. 34God sent him, and he tells the things that God says. God gives him the Spirit fully. 35The Father loves the Son and has given him power over everything. 36He who believes in the Son has eternal life. But he who does not obey the Son will never have that life. God’s anger stays with him.”
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John 3: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Yoḥanan (John) 3
3
1And there was a man of the Pharisees, Naḵdimon was his name, a ruler of the Yehuḏim.
2This one came to יהושע by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from Elohim, for no one is able to do these signs You do if Elohim is not with him.”
3יהושע answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he is unable to see#Or perceive the reign of Elohim.”
4Naḵdimon said to Him, “How is a man able to be born when he is old? Is he able to enter into his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5יהושע answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he is unable to enter into the reign of Elohim.
6“That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You have to be born from above.’ ”
8The wind#Wind and Spirit have the same underlying Hebrew and Greek words. blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”
9Naḵdimon answered and said to Him, “How is it possible for this to take place?”
10יהושע answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Yisra’ĕl, and do not know this?
11“Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak what We know and witness what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
12If you do not believe when I spoke to you about earthly matters, how are you going to believe when I speak to you about the heavenly matters?”
13“And no one has gone up into the heaven except He who came down from the heaven – the Son of Aḏam.
14And as Mosheh lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of Aḏam has to be lifted up,”
15so that whoever is believing in Him should not perish but possess everlasting life.
16“For Elohim so loved the world that He gave His only brought-forth Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but possess everlasting life.
17“For Elohim did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18“He who believes in Him is not judged, but he who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only brought-forth Son of Elohim.
19“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were wicked.
20For everyone who is practising evil matters hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
21But the one doing the truth comes to the light, so that his works are clearly seen, that they have been wrought in Elohim.
22After this, יהושע and His taught ones came into the land of Yehuḏah, and He remained there with them, and was immersing.
23And Yoḥanan was also immersing in Ayin near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. And they were coming and were being immersed,
24for Yoḥanan had not yet been put into prison.
25Then a dispute arose between some of Yoḥanan’s taught ones and the Yehuḏim about cleansing,
26and they came to Yoḥanan and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Yardĕn, to whom you have witnessed, see, He is immersing, and all are coming to Him!”
27Yoḥanan answered and said, “No man is able to receive any matter unless it is given to him from the heaven.
28“You yourselves are witnesses for me that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but I am sent ahead of Him.’
29“He that has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. So this joy of mine is complete.
30“It is right for Him to increase, but me to decrease.
31“He who comes from above is over all, he who is from the earth is of the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from the heaven is over all.
32“And what He has seen and heard, that He witnesses. And no one receives His witness.
33“He who receives His witness has set his seal that Elohim is true.
34“For He whom Elohim has sent speaks the Words of Elohim, for Elohim does not give the Spirit by measure.
35“The Father loves the Son, and has given all into His hand.
36He who believes in the Son possesses everlasting life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim remains on him.
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