John 3
3
A Pharisee Comes Seeking Truth
1Now there was a man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jewish people.
2He came to Yeshua at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You, a teacher, have come from God. For no one can perform these signs which You do unless God is with Him!”
3Yeshua answered him, “Amen, amen I tell you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus said to Him. “He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
5Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘You all must be born from above.’
8The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
The Father’s Love Revealed
9“How can these things happen?” Nicodemus said.
10Yeshua answered him, “You’re a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things?
11Amen, amen I tell you, We speak about what We know and testify about what We have seen. Yet you all do not receive Our testimony!
12If you do not believe the earthly things I told you, how will you believe when I tell you about heavenly things?
13No one has gone up into heaven except the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man.
14Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life!
16“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.
18The one who believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not put his trust in the name of the one and only Ben-Elohim.
19“Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil.
20For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.
21But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.”
The Living Word, Source of Life
22Afterwards, Yeshua and His disciples came to the land of Judea. There He was staying with them and immersing.
23Now John also was immersing at Aenon near Salim, because much water was there and many were coming and being immersed;
24for John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25Now an argument came up between John’s disciples and a Judean concerning purification.
26They came to John and said, “Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—look, He is immersing, and all are coming to Him!”
27John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
28You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,’ but rather, ‘I am sent before Him.’
29The one who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the best man rejoices when he stands and hears the bridegroom’s voice. So now my joy is complete!
30He must increase, while I must decrease.”
31The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaks. The One who comes from heaven is above all.
32And what He has seen and heard, He testifies to that; yet no one receives His testimony.
33Whoever receives His testimony has certified that God is true.
34The One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Ruach without limit.
35The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand.
36He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
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John 3: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
John 3
3
1There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,#3:3 Or born from above; also in 3:7. you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.#3:5 Or and spirit. The Greek word for Spirit can also be translated wind; see 3:8. 6Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.#3:6 Greek what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You#3:7 The Greek word for you is plural; also in 3:12. must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
9“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man#3:13 Some manuscripts add who lives in heaven. “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself. has come down from heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.#3:15 Or everyone who believes will have eternal life in him.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave # 3:16 Or For God loved the world so much that he gave. his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.#3:21 Or can see God at work in what he is doing.”
John the Baptist Exalts Jesus
22Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.
23At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism. 24(This was before John was thrown into prison.) 25A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew#3:25 Some manuscripts read some Jews. over ceremonial cleansing. 26So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”
27John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. 28You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ 29It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. 30He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
31“He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else.#3:31 Some manuscripts do not include and is greater than anyone else. 32He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! 33Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. 34For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. 36And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”
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