John 3

Riverside^{(i) 1} THERE was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus by name, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus one night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." ³ Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a man is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God." ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into his mother's womb a second time and be born?" ⁵ Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not wonder that I said, 'You must be born from above.' ⁸ The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes. So is every one who is born of the Spirit." ⁹ Nicodemus answered him, "How can these things be?" ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, "You are the teacher of Israel, and do you not know these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I tell you, we are speaking of what we know, and we are witnessing to what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven — the Son of Man. ¹⁴ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that every one who believes in him may have life eternal." ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that every one who believes in him may not perish, but have life eternal. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ He who believes in him is not condemned. He who does not believe has been already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the condemnation, that Light has come into the world and men have loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were wicked. ²⁰ Every one who is doing base things hates the Light and does not come to the Light, that his deeds may not be reproved. ²¹ But he who is doing the truth comes to the Light, that it may be plainly shown that his deeds have been done in union with God. ²² After this Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judaea and there he spent some time with them and baptized. ²³ John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was abundant water there. People were constantly coming and being baptized. ²⁴ For John had not yet been thrown into prison. ²⁵ There arose a dispute between the disciples of John and a Jew about purification. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the man who was with you across the Jordan to whom you bore testimony — see, he is baptizing and all are coming to him." ²⁷ John answered, "A man can assume nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves are witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' ²⁹ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine is complete. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease." ³¹ He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth is of the earth and he speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. ³² What he has seen and heard, that he testifies to, yet no one accepts his testimony. ³³ He who accepts his testimony has set his seal that God is true. ³⁴ He whom God has sent speaks the word of God, for he does not give him the Spirit by measure. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hand. ³⁶ He who believes in the Son has life eternal. He who disbelieves in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.