John 3

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.

¹ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

³ Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹ Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹² If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹ But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”

²¹ But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

²² After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

²² After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judæa; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

²³ Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.

²³ And John also was baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

²⁴ (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

²⁴ For John was not yet cast into prison.

²⁵ Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.

²⁵ Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

²⁶ So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

²⁶ And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

²⁷ John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.

²⁷ John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’

²⁸ Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

²⁹ He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

³⁰ He must increase; I must decrease.

³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.

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.

³¹ He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

³² He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

³² And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

³³ Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.

³³ He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

³⁴ For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

³⁴ For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.

³⁵ The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.