John 3
3
Jesus and Nicodemus
1There was a man from the Pharisees#Mk 7:3 named Nicodemus,#Jn 3:4,9; 7:50; 19:39 a ruler#Lk 8:41; 12:58 of the Jews. 2This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi,#Jn 11:8 we know that you are a teacher#Mk 4:38; Eph 4:11 who has come from God,#Mk 1:45 for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”#Ex 3:12; Jn 15:24; Ac 10:38; Rv 21:3
3Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,#3:3 Or from above, also in v. 7#1Pt 1:3; 1Jn 2:29 he cannot see the kingdom of God.” #Mk 1:15; 9:1
4“How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born#Mk 9:43 of water and the Spirit,#Ezk 36:25–27; Ac 22:16; Ti 3:5 he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6Whatever is born of the flesh#Php 3:3 is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit#Jn 1:33 is spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born#1Pt 1:3 again. 8The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.#Jn 8:14 So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”#1Co 2:13–16
9“How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.
10 “Are you a teacher # 3:10 Or the teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. 11“Truly I tell you,#Jn 1:51; Rv 22:21 we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended#Jn 20:17 into heaven#Dt 30:12; Jn 6:62; Ac 2:34; Rm 10:6; 1Co 15:47; Eph 4:8–10; Rv 11:12 except the one who descended from heaven#Jn 6:38; 8:23 — the Son of Man.#3:13 Other mss add who is in heaven#Mk 2:10
14 “Just as Moses #
Ps 77:20; Mt 8:4; Heb 3:2 lifted up the snake in the wilderness,#Nm 21:4–9 so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15so that everyone who believes in him may#3:15 Other mss add not perish, but have eternal life.#Mk 10:17; Jn 12:25; Ac 13:48 16For God loved#Jn 12:43; 1Co 13:1; Gl 2:20; Col 1:13; 3:12; 1Th 1:4; 2Th 2:13,16; 1Jn 4:7–12; Jd 1 the world in this way:#3:16 Or this much He gave#3:16 Or For in this way God loved the world, and so he gave, or For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only#1Jn 4:9 Son,#Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2 so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.#Jn 12:25; Rm 5:8; 1Jn 3:16; 4:9–10 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn#Jn 8:11 the world, but to save the world through him. 18Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned,#Mt 12:41; Mk 16:16 because he has not believed in the name#Jn 10:25; 1Jn 3:23 of the one and only Son#Jn 5:19 of God. 19This is the judgment: The light#Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46 has come into the world,#Jn 18:37; 1Jn 2:8 and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20For everyone who does evil hates#Lk 6:27; 19:14 the light and avoids it,#3:20 Lit and does not come to the light so that his deeds#Mk 14:6; Gl 3:10; Jms 2:14–26 may not be exposed. 21But anyone who lives by#3:21 Lit who does the truth comes to the light, so that his works#Jn 5:36 may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
Jesus and John the Baptist
22After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized.
23John#Mk 1:4 also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized, 24since John had not yet been thrown into prison.#Mk 1:14
25Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples#Mt 9:14; 11:2; 14:12; Mk 2:18; 6:29; Lk 5:33; 7:18–19; 11:1; Jn 1:35,37; 6:3 and a Jew#3:25 Other mss read and the Jews about purification.#Lv 13–14; Heb 1:3 26So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi,#Jn 11:8 the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan,#Mk 10:1; Lk 3:3 is baptizing — and everyone is going to him.”#Mk 1:45
27John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,#Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2 but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’#Lk 1:17 29He who has the bride#Rv 21:2 is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly#3:29 Lit with joy rejoices at the groom’s voice. So this joy#Jn 15:11 of mine is complete. 30He must increase, but I must decrease.”
The One from Heaven
31The one who comes from above#Jms 1:17 is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms.#3:31 Or of earthly things The one who comes from heaven is above all.#Jn 8:23; 1Jn 4:5–6 32He testifies#Jn 15:26; Ac 26:5 to what he has seen and heard, and yet no one accepts his testimony. 33The one who has accepted his testimony has affirmed that God is true.#1Jn 5:20 34For the one whom God sent speaks God’s words, since he#3:34 Other mss read since God gives the Spirit#Jn 1:33 without measure. 35The Father loves the Son#Jn 5:20; 10:17; 1Co 13:1 and has given all things into his hands.#Jn 5:19 36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son#3:36 Or refuses to believe in the Son, or disobeys the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.#Mk 16:16
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John 3: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
John 3
3
Jesus and Nicodemus
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode´mus, a ruler of the Jews: 2the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles 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 again,#3.3,7 again or from above. he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicode´mus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the 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 of 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 again.#3.3,7 again or from above. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9Nicode´mus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.#3.13 which is in heaven not found in best early manuscripts. 14#Num 21.9. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
God So Loved the World
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease
22After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. 23And John also was baptizing in Ae´non near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 24#Matt 14.3; Mark 6.17; Luke 3.19,20. For John was not yet cast into prison.
25Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. 26And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. 27John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 28#John 1.20. Ye 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.
The Testimony from Heaven
31He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. 32And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. 33He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. 34For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.#3.34 unto him not found in best early manuscripts. 35#Matt 11.27; Luke 10.22. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.