John 3
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus,
a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He
came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you
are a teacher who has come from God. For no one
could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if
God were not with him.”
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one
can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. f”
4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus
asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into
his mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter
the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and
the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit g
gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my
saying, ‘You b must be born again.’ 8The wind blows
wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot
tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is
with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you
not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we
speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have
seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not
believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly
things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the
one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. h 14Just as
Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of
Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in
him may have eternal life. i
16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, j that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his
Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is
not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands
condemned already because he has not believed in the
name of God’s one and only Son. k 19This is the verdict:
Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness
instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not come
into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so
that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has
been done through God.” l
John the Baptist’s Testimony About Jesus
22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the
Judean countryside, where he spent some time with
them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at
Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water,
and people were constantly coming to be baptized.
24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument
developed between some of John’s disciples and a
certain Jewm over the matter of ceremonial washing.
26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man
who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the
one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone
is going to him.”
27To this John replied, “A man can receive only what
is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify
that I said, ‘I am not the Christ n but am sent ahead of
him.’ 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend
who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him,
and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.
That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become
greater; I must become less.
31“The one who comes from above is above all; the
one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and
speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from
heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen
and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33The
man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.
34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words
of God, for God a gives the Spirit without limit. 35The Father
loves the Son and has placed everything in his
hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s
wrath remains on him.”