^3:27John replied,⁵⁶ “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. ^3:28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’⁵⁷ but rather, ‘I have been sent before him.’ ^3:29The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly⁵⁸ when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete.⁵⁹^3:30He must become more important while I become less important.”⁶⁰

^3:31The one who comes from above is superior to all.⁶¹ The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.⁶² The one who comes from heaven⁶³ is superior to all.⁶⁴^3:32He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ^3:33The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful.⁶⁵^3:34For the one whom God has sent⁶⁶ speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly.⁶⁷^3:35The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority.⁶⁸^3:36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects⁶⁹ the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath⁷⁰ remains⁷¹ on him.

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Footnotes

56 Grk “answered and said.”
57 Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”). See the note on Christ in .
58 Grk “rejoices with joy” (an idiom).
59 Grk “Therefore this my joy is fulfilled.”
60 Some interpreters extend the quotation of John the Baptist’s words through v. 36.
61 Or “is above all.”
62 Grk “speaks from the earth.”
63 The one who comes from heaven refers to Christ. As in John 1:1, the Word’s preexistence is indicated here.
64 𝔓75 א* D f1 565 as well as several versions and fathers lack the phrase “is superior to all” (ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν, epanō pantōn estin). This effectively joins the last sentence of v. 31 with v. 32: “The one who comes from heaven testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.” On the other side, the phrase may have been deleted because of perceived redundancy, since it duplicates what is said earlier in the verse. The witnesses that include ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν in both places are weighty and widespread (𝔓36vid,66 א2 A B L Ws Θ Ψ 083 086 f13 33 𝔐 lat sys,p,h bo). On balance, the longer reading should probably be considered authentic. Or “is above all.”
65 Or “is true.”
66 That is, Christ.
67 Grk “for not by measure does he give the Spirit” (an idiom). Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 states: “The Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure.” Jesus is contrasted to this. The Spirit rests upon him without measure.
68 Grk “has given all things into his hand” (an idiom).
69 Or “refuses to believe,” or “disobeys.”
70 Or “anger because of evil,” or “punishment.”
71 Or “resides.”