John 3
3
You Must Be Born Again
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named #ch. 7:50; 19:39 Nicodemus, #See Luke 24:20a ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus#3:2 Greek him #[ch. 12:42] by night and said to him, #See ch. 1:38 “Rabbi, #[ch. 9:29; Matt. 22:16] we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do #Acts 10:38; [ch. 5:36; 9:33; Acts 2:22]unless God is with him.” 3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is #See ch. 1:13 born #[2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23] again#3:3 Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7 he cannot #ver. 36see the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus said to 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, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born #[Ezek. 36:25-27; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5; Heb. 10:22]of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6#1 Cor. 15:50 That which is born of the flesh is #ch. 6:63flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.#3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit 7#ch. 5:28 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You#3:7 The Greek for you is plural here must be born #See ver. 3again.’ 8#[Eccles. 11:5; Ezek. 37:9] The wind#3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit blows #1 Cor. 12:11where 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 who is born of the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus said to him, #ch. 6:52, 60“How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel #[ch. 9:30]and yet you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I say to you, #See ver. 32we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but #See ver. 32you#3:11 The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12 do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13#Prov. 30:4; [Acts 2:34; Eph. 4:9] No one has #[ch. 7:34] ascended into heaven except #ver. 31; ch. 6:38, 42, 62; 1 Cor. 15:47; [Rom. 10:6]he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.#3:13 Some manuscripts add who is in heaven 14And #Num. 21:9 as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man #ch. 8:28; 12:32, 34be lifted up, 15that whoever believes #[ch. 15:4; 16:33; 1 John 5:12, 20] in him #ver. 36may have eternal life.#3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15
For God So Loved the World
16 “For #
Rom. 5:8; Eph. 2:4; 2 Thess. 2:16; 1 John 3:1; 4:9, 10 God so loved # See ch. 1:29 the world, # 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world #
Rom. 8:32 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not # ch. 10:28 perish but have eternal life. 17For #ch. 5:36, 38; 6:29, 57; 7:29; 8:42; 10:36; 11:42; 17:3; 20:21; Rom. 8:3; 1 John 4:9, 10, 14 God did not send his Son into the world #ch. 5:45; 8:15; 12:47to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18#ch. 5:24; [Mark 16:16] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not #See 1 John 5:13believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19#[ch. 9:39] And this is the judgment: #See ch. 1:4, 5, 9 the light has come into the world, and #[Isa. 30:10; Jer. 5:31] people loved the darkness rather than the light because #ch. 7:7their works were evil. 20#[Job 24:13; Rom. 13:12; Eph. 5:13] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, #Eph. 5:11, 13lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever #1 John 1:6 does what is true #Ps. 139:23, 24comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and #ver. 26; ch. 4:1, 2was baptizing. 23John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24(for #[ch. 5:35]; See Matt. 4:12John had not yet been put in prison).
25Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over #ch. 2:6purification. 26And they came to John and said to him, #ver. 2 “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, #See ch. 1:7 to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and #ch. 12:19all are going to him.” 27John answered, #1 Cor. 4:7; Heb. 5:4 “A person cannot receive even one thing #ch. 6:65; [James 1:17] unless it is given him #See Matt. 21:25from heaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, #See ch. 1:20 ‘I am not the Christ, but #Mal. 3:1; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:17; Acts 19:4I have been sent before him.’ 29#See Matt. 25:1 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. #Judg. 14:20; Song 5:1 The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, #Matt. 9:15rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30#Matt. 3:11He must increase, but I must decrease.”#3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36
31 # ch. 8:23 He who comes from above #Rom. 9:5; Eph. 1:21 is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and #[1 John 4:5] speaks in an earthly way. #See ver. 13He who comes from heaven #Rom. 9:5; Eph. 1:21 is above all. 32#ver. 11 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, #[ver. 19; ch. 1:11; 5:43; 12:37]yet no one receives his testimony. 33Whoever receives his testimony #[ch. 6:27; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; Rev. 7:3-8] sets his seal to this, #[1 John 5:10]that God is true. 34For he whom #See ver. 17 God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit #[Ezek. 4:11, 16]without measure. 35#See ch. 5:20 The Father loves the Son and #See Matt. 28:18has given all things into his hand. 36#ver. 15, 16; ch. 5:24; 6:40, 47, 54; 1 John 5:12, 13; [ch. 11:25, 26; 20:31]; See Matt. 19:16 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; #[Rom. 2:8; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6] whoever does not obey the Son shall not #ver. 3see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Currently Selected:
John 3: ESV
Highlight
Share
Copy
![None](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2F58%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.youversion.com%2Fapp-icons%2Fen.png&w=128&q=75)
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV:
John 3
3
A Conversation with Nicodemus
1Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. 2He came to Jesus one night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him.”
3Jesus replied to Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can see God’s kingdom without being born from above.” #3:3 Or “born again.”
4Nicodemus asked him, “How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?”
5Jesus answered Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter God’s kingdom without being born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood, but the Spirit gives birth to things that are spiritual. 7Don’t be surprised when I tell you that all of you must be born from above. 8The wind #3:8 The Greek word for wind is the same as the Greek word for Spirit. blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it’s going. That’s the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus replied, “How can that be?”
10Jesus told Nicodemus, “You’re a well-known teacher of Israel. Can’t you understand this? 11I can guarantee this truth: We know what we’re talking about, and we confirm what we’ve seen. Yet, you don’t accept our message. 12If you don’t believe me when I tell you about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you about things in heaven? 13No one has gone to heaven except the Son of Man, who came from heaven.
14“As Moses lifted up the snake ⌞on a pole⌟ in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. 15Then everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”
16God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. 17God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. 18Those who believe in him won’t be condemned. But those who don’t believe are already condemned because they don’t believe in God’s only Son.
19This is why people are condemned: The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. 20People who do what is wrong hate the light and don’t come to the light. They don’t want their actions to be exposed. 21But people who do what is true come to the light so that the things they do for God may be clearly seen.
John the Baptizer Talks about Christ
22Later, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them and baptized people. 23John was baptizing in Aenon, near Salim. Water was plentiful there. (People came to John to be baptized, 24since John had not yet been put in prison.)
25Some of John’s disciples had an argument with a Jew about purification ceremonies. 26So they went to John and asked him, “Rabbi, do you remember the man you spoke so favorably about when he was with you on the other side of the Jordan River? Well, he’s baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”
27John answered, “People can’t receive anything unless it has been given to them from heaven. 28You are witnesses that I said, ‘I’m not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’
29“The groom is the person to whom the bride belongs. The best man, who stands and listens to him, is overjoyed when the groom speaks. This is the joy that I feel. 30He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.
31“The person who comes from above is superior to everyone. I, a person from the earth, know nothing but what is on earth, and that’s all I can talk about. The person who comes from heaven is superior to everyone 32and tells what he has seen and heard. Yet, no one accepts what he says. 33I have accepted what that person said, and I have affirmed that God is truthful. 34The man whom God has sent speaks God’s message. After all, God gives him the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves his Son and has put everything in his power. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, he will see God’s constant anger.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
![None](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2F58%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.youversion.com%2Fapp-icons%2Fen.png&w=128&q=75)
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.