Nicodemus talks to Jesus
- Now, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
- This man came to Him at night and said to Him: “Rabbi, we *know that you have come from God as a teacher, for no one is able to do these signs which you do unless God is with him.”
- Jesus answered and told him: “Amen, amen I tell you: unless someone was born from above, he isn’t able to see the kingdom of God.
- Nicodemus says to Him: “How is a man able to be born while being old? He isn’t able to enter into his mother’s womb a second time and to be born again, is he?”
- Jesus answered: “Amen, amen I tell you: unless someone was born of water and the Spirit, he isn’t able to enter into the kingdom of God.
- “What has been born from the flesh is flesh; and what has been born from the Spirit is spirit.
- “Don’t marvel that I told you ‘it’s necessary for you all to be born from above’.”
- “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you don’t *know where it comes from and where it goes; it’s this way with every man who is *born from the Spirit.”
- Nicodemus answered and said to Him: “How are these things able to happen?”
- Jesus answered and told him: “You are the teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?”
- “Amen, amen I tell you that we speak of what we *know, and we testify of what we have seen, and you men aren’t receiving our testimony.
- “If I told you men about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
- “And no one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven; the Son of Man [the One who is in heaven].
- “And just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, in this way also, it’s necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up,
- “so every man believing in Him might have the life of ages.
- “For God ^loved the world in this way, that He gave His only unique Son, so that every man believing in Him might not perish, but might have the life of ages.
- “For God didn’t send the Son into the world so He might judge the world, but so the world might be saved through Him.
- “The man believing in Him isn’t judged, but the man not beliving has been judged already because he hasn’t believed in the name of the only unique Son of God.
- “And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and men ^loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil.
- “For every man practicing evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light so that his works won’t be exposed.
- “But the man practicing the truth comes to the light so that his works that have been done in God might be revealed.
John testifies again
- After these things, Jesus and His disciples went into the land of Judea, and He was staying with them there and was baptizing.
- And John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim because many waters were there, and many were arriving and were being baptized,
- for John wasn’t *thrown into prison yet.
- Therefore, a debate arose among John’s disciples with a Jew about cleansing.
- And they came to John and told him: “Rabbi, He who was with you across the Jordan, of whom you have testified, look: He baptizes and all are going to Him.”
- John answered and said: “A man isn’t able to receive [even one thing] unless it has been given to him from heaven.
- “You yourselves testify of me that I said: “I’m not the Anointed”, but that I have been sent before Him.
- “The man having the bride is a bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom (the man *standing and listening for him) rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine has been fulfilled.
- “It’s necessary for Him to increase, but for me to decrease.
- “The One coming from above is above all. The man from the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth. The One coming from heaven is above all.
- “What He has seen and heard, of this He testifies and no one receives His testimony.
- “The man who received His testimony set his seal that God is true.
- “For He whom God sent speaks the words of God, for He doesn’t give the Spirit by measure.
- “The Father ^loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
- “The man believing in the Son has the life of ages, but the man disbelieving the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”