John 3
3
Jesus and Nicodemus
1There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. 2One night he went to Jesus and said, “Sir, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not perform these miracles, unless God were with you.”
3Jesus replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above#3.3 from above: Or “in a new way”. The same Greek word is used in verses 7,31. before you can see God's kingdom!”
4Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”
5Jesus 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. 6Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God. 7Don't be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. 8Only 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.
10Jesus replied:
How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11I tell you for certain that we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. 12If 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?
13No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as that metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert.#3.14 just as that metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert: When the Lord punished the people of Israel by sending snakes to bite them, he told Moses to hold a metal snake up on a pole. Everyone who looked at the snake was cured of the snake bites. See Numbers 21.4-9.#Nu 21.9. 15Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.
16God 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. 17God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! 18No 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.
19The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. 20People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done. 21But 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
22Later, Jesus and his disciples went to Judea, where he stayed with them for a while and was baptizing people.
23-24John 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.#Mt 14.3; Mk 6.17; Lk 3.19,20.
25John's followers got into an argument with a Jewish man#3.25 a Jewish man: Some manuscripts have “some Jewish men”. about a ceremony of washing.#3.25 about a ceremony of washing: The Jewish people had many rules about washing themselves and their dishes, in order to make themselves fit to worship God. 26They 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.”
27John replied:
No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it. 28Surely you remember how I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him.#Jn 1.20.
29At 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. 30Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.
The one who comes from heaven
John continued:
31God's Son comes from heaven and is above all others. Everyone who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all others. 32He speaks about what he has seen and heard, and yet no one believes him. 33But everyone who does believe him has shown that God is truthful. 34The Son was sent to speak God's message, and he has been given the full power of God's Spirit.
35The Father loves the Son and has given him everything.#Mt 11.27; Lk 10.22. 36Everyone 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 for ever.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
John 3
3
1 Now there was a man among the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
2 He went to Jesus at night, and he said to him: "Rabbi, we know that you have arrived as a teacher from God. For no one would be able to accomplish these signs, which you accomplish, unless God were with him."
3 Jesus responded and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one has been reborn anew, he is not able to see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to him: "How could a man be born when he is old? Surely, he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be reborn?"
5 Jesus responded: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one has been reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.
6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 You should not be amazed that I said to you: You must be born anew.
8 The Spirit inspires where he wills. And you hear his voice, but you do not know where he comes from, or where he is going. So it is with all who are born of the Spirit."
9 Nicodemus responded and said to him, "How are these things able to be accomplished?"
10 Jesus responded and said to him: "You are a teacher in Israel, and you are ignorant of these things?
11 Amen, amen, I say to you, that we speak about what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. But you do not accept our testimony.
12 If I have spoken to you about earthly things, and you have not believed, then how will you believe, if I will speak to you about heavenly things?
13 And no one has ascended to heaven, except the one who descended from heaven: the Son of man who is in heaven.
14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so also must the Son of man be lifted up,
15 so that whoever believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world, in order to judge the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not judged. But whoever does not believe is already judged, because he does not believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the judgment: that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness more than light. For their works were evil.
20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not go toward the Light, so that his works may not be corrected.
21 But whoever acts in truth goes toward the Light, so that his works may be manifested, because they have been accomplished in God."
22 After these things, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. And he was living there with them and baptizing.
23 Now John was also baptizing, at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water in that place. And they were arriving and being baptized.
24 For John had not yet been cast into prison.
25 Then a dispute occurred between the disciples of John and the Jews, about purification.
26 And they went to John and said to him: "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, about whom you offered testimony: behold, he is baptizing and everyone is going to him."
27 John responded and said: "A man is not able to receive anything, unless it has been given to him from heaven.
28 You yourselves offer testimony for me that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but that I have been sent before him.
29 He who holds the bride is the groom. But the friend of the groom, who stands and listens to Him, rejoices joyfully at the voice of the groom. And so, this, my joy, has been fulfilled.
30 He must increase, while I must decrease.
31 He who comes from above, is above everything. He who is from below, is of the earth, and he speaks about the earth. He who comes from heaven is above everything.
32 And what he has seen and heard, about this he testifies. And no one accepts his testimony.
33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified that God is truthful.
34 For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For God does not give the Spirit by measure.
35 The Father loves the Son, and he has given everything into his hand.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. But whoever is unbelieving toward the Son shall not see life; instead the wrath of God remains upon him."
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