John 3

You Must Be Born Again

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named a Nicodemus b a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus ▼
▼ Greek him
 d by night and said to him e “Rabbi f we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do g unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is h born i again ▼
▼ Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both  again and from above; also verse 7
 he cannot k see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born l of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6  m That which is born of the flesh is n flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ▼
▼ The same Greek word means both wind and  spirit
 7  p Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You ▼
▼ The Greek for  you is plural here
 must be born r again.’ 8  s The wind ▼
▼ The same Greek word means both  wind and spirit
 blows u 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 who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him v “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel w and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you x we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but y you ▼
▼ The Greek for  you is plural here; also four times in verse 12
 do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13  aa No one has ab ascended into heaven except ac he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ▼
▼ Some manuscripts add who is in heaven
 14 And ae as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man af be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes ag in him ah may have eternal life. ▼
▼ Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15

For God So Loved the World

16 “For aj God so loved ak the world ▼
▼ Or  For this is how God loved the world
 am that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not an perish but have eternal life. 17 For ao God did not send his Son into the world ap to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18  aq Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not ar believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19  as And this is the judgment: at the light has come into the world, and au people loved the darkness rather than the light because av their works were evil. 20  aw For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light ax lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever ay does what is true az comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and ba was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for bb John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over bc purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him bd “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan be to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and bf all are going to him.” 27 John answered bg “A person cannot receive even one thing bh unless it is given him bi from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said bj ‘I am not the Christ, but bk I have been sent before him.’ 29  bl The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. bm The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him bn rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30  bo He must increase, but I must decrease.” ▼
▼ Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36

31  bq He who comes from above br is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and bs speaks in an earthly way. bt He who comes from heaven bu is above all. 32  bv He bears witness to what he has seen and heard bw yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony bx sets his seal to this, by that God is true. 34 For he whom bz God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit ca without measure. 35  cb The Father loves the Son and cc has given all things into his hand. 36  cd Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; ce whoever does not obey the Son shall not cf see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

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