Jesus and Nicodemus

1And there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2He 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 should be with him.”

3Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, except anyone be born from above,a he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”

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 say to you, unless anyone be born of water and of the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God. 6That having been born of the flesh is flesh, and that having been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not wonder that I said to you, ‘It is necessary for you all to be born from above.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes, 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.”

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

10Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and do you not know these things? 11Truly, truly, I say to you that we speak that which we know, and we bear witness to that which we have seen, and you people do not receive our witness.

12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13And no one has gone up into heaven except the One having come down out of heaven, the Son of Man.b 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus it behooves the Son of Man to be lifted up, 15so that everyone believing in Him may have eternal life.

For God So Loved
(Genesis 22:1-10; Romans 5:6-11)

16For God so loved the world that He gave the only begotten Son, so that everyone believing in Him should not perish, but should have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 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 judgement, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. 20For everyone practicing evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, so that his works may not be exposed; 21but the one practicing the truth comes to the Light, that his works may be manifest as having been done in God.”c

John's Testimony about Jesus

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

23Now John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because the waters were many there, and they were coming and being baptized. 24For John had not yet been cast into the prison.

25Then a debate arose among the disciples of John with a certain Jew about purification. 26And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness, behold He baptizes, and all are coming to Him.”

27John answered and said, “A man is able to receive not one thing if it is not given to him from heaven. 28You yourselves bear witness to me that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I am sent before Him.’ 29The one having the bride is the bridegroom; and the friend of the bridegroom, the one standing and listening for him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30It behooves Him to increase, but me to decrease.

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. 32What He has seen and heard, this He testifies, but no one receives His testimony. 33The one having received His testimony has set his seal that God is true. 34For He whom God sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure.

35The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. 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 abides on him.”d