John 3:1-21
NLT[3] (1) There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. (2) After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” (3) Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (4) “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” (5) Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. (6) Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. (7) So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ (8) The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” (9) “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked. (10) Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? (11) I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. (12) But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? (13) No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. (14) And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, (15) so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. (16) “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (17) God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (18) “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. (19) And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. (20) All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. (21) But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. ” |
NRSV[3] (1) Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. (2) He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” (3) Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” (4) Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” (5) Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (6) What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.’ (8) The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, 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, “How can these things be?” (10) Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? (11) “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. (12) If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? (13) No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. (14) And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (15) that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (16) “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (17) “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (18) Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (19) And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. (20) For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. (21) But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” |