John 3

Modern

Literal

Jesus and Nicodemus

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

¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees, his name Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

²He 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.”

²This one came to Him by 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 that You do unless God would be with him.”

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

³Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one would be born from above, he is not able to 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?”

⁴Nicodemus says to Him, “How is a man able to be born, being old? Is he able to enter into the womb of his mother a second time and to be born?”

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

⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one would be born of water and of the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.

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

⁶That having been born of the flesh is flesh, and that having been born of the Spirit is spirit.

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

⁷Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘It is necessary for you to be born from above.’

⁸The 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.”

⁸The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know from where it comes and where it goes. Thus is everyone having been born of the Spirit.”

⁹“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

⁹Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How are these things able to be?”

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

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things?

¹¹Truly, 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.

¹¹Truly, truly, I say to you that we speak what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and you do not receive our testimony.

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

¹²If I spoke to you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I should speak to you heavenly things?

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

¹³And no one has gone up into heaven except the One having come down out of heaven, the Son of Man.

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

¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up,

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

¹⁵so that everyone believing in Him may have eternal life.

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

¹⁶For God so loved the world that He gave the Son, the only begotten, so that everyone believing in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.

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

¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

¹⁸Whoever 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.

¹⁸The one believing in Him is not judged, but the one not believing already has been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹And 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.

¹⁹And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their works were evil.

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

²⁰For everyone practicing evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, so that his works may not be exposed;

²¹But 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.”^a

²¹but the one doing the truth comes to the Light, so that his works may be manifest, that in God they are having been worked.”

John’s Testimony about Jesus

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

²²After these things, Jesus and His disciples went into the land of Judea, and there He was staying with them and was baptizing.

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

²³Now John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because the waters were many there, and they were coming and were being baptized.

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

²⁴For John was not yet thrown into the prison.

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

²⁵Then a debate arose from the disciples of John with a Jew about purification.

²⁶So 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.”

²⁶And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, this One is baptizing, and all are coming to Him.”

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

²⁷John answered and said, “A man is not able to receive one thing unless it shall be given to him from heaven.

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

²⁸You yourselves testify to me that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I am sent before Him.’

²⁹The 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.

²⁹The one having the bride is the bridegroom, and the friend of the bridegroom, the one standing and hearing him, rejoices with joy because of the voice of the bridegroom. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.

³⁰He must increase; I must decrease.

³⁰It is necessary for Him to increase, but for me to decrease.

³¹The 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.^a

³¹The One coming from above is above all. The one being from the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth. The One coming from heaven is above all.

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

³²What He has seen and heard, to this He testifies, and no one receives His testimony.

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

³³The one having received His testimony has sealed that God is true.

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

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

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

³⁵The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

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

³⁶The one believing in the Son has eternal life; but the one not obeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”