Jesus and Nicodemus

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

2The same went to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that you have come as a teacher from God, because no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

3Jesus answered and said to him, ⁵⁹“Most assuredly I say to you, unless someone is begotten from Above, ⁶⁰he is not able to see ⁶¹the kingdom of God.”

4Nicodemus says to Him: “How can a man be begotten, being old? He can't enter his mother's womb a second time and be born, can he?”

5Jesus answered: “Most assuredly I say to you, unless someone is begotten by water ⁶²and Spirit he is not able to enter the kingdom of God.

6That which has been begotten by the flesh is flesh, and that which has been begotten by the Spirit is spirit. ⁶³

7Do not be perplexed that I said to you, ‘You (pl) need to be begotten from Above.’

8The wind blows where it wishes, and you (sg) hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who has been begotten by the Spirit.” ⁶⁴

9Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” ⁶⁵

10Jesus answered and said to Him: “You are the teacher of Israel, ⁶⁶yet you do not understand these things?

11Most assuredly I say to you, we speak what we know and testify to what we ⁶⁷have seen, but you (pl) do not receive our testimony. ⁶⁸

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

13No one has gone up into Heaven except the One who came down out of Heaven —the Son of the Man, who is in Heaven. ⁶⁹

14Also, just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, ⁷⁰just so the Son of the Man must be lifted up,

15so that everyone who believes into Him should not be wasted, ⁷¹but should have eternal life.

16Because God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes into Him should not be wasted, but should have eternal life. ⁷²

17For God did not send His Son into the world in order to condemn the world, ⁷³but so that the world might be saved through Him.

18The one believing into Him is not condemned, but the one not believing has already been condemned, ⁷⁴because he has not believed into the name ⁷⁵of the only begotten Son of God.

19“Now this is the basis for the condemning, that the Light has come into the world, ⁷⁶but the people loved the darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were malignant.

20For whoever practices evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds may not be exposed. ⁷⁷

21But whoever does the truth comes to the Light so that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they are done in God.”

John the Baptizer testifies again

22After these things Jesus, with His disciples, went into the Judean countryside, and there He spent time with them ⁷⁸and baptized.

23Now John also was baptizing in Aenon, near Salem, because there was plenty of water there. ⁷⁹And people were coming and being baptized;

24for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25Then some of John's disciples had an argument with a Judean about purification.

26So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the One who was with you across the Jordan, about whom you have testified—well, here He is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to Him!” ⁸⁰

27John answered and said: “A person can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from Heaven. ⁸¹

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

29He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and hears him, has great joy at the bridegroom's voice. So this my joy has been fulfilled.

30He must increase, but I must decrease. ⁸²

31“He who comes from Above is above all; he who is from the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth. He who comes from Heaven ⁸³is above all.

32And to what He has seen and heard He testifies, yet no one receives His testimony. ⁸⁴

33The one who receives His testimony certifies that God is true.

34For He whom God sent speaks God's words, because God does not give the Spirit by measure. ⁸⁵

35The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. ⁸⁶

36The one believing into the Son has eternal life, but the one disobeying ⁸⁷the Son will not see the Life, but the wrath of God will remain upon him.” ⁸⁸