Chapter 3

The New Birth

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named aNicodemus, a bruler of the Jews;

2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “aRabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these 1bsigns that You do unless cGod is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one ais born 1again he cannot see bthe kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus * said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of awater and the Spirit he cannot enter into bthe kingdom of God.

6 “aThat which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born 1again.’

8 “aThe wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

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

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you athe teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?

11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, awe speak of what we know and btestify of what we have seen, and byou do not accept our testimony.

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

13 “aNo one has ascended into heaven, but bHe who descended from heaven: cthe Son of Man.

14 “As aMoses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must bthe Son of Man cbe lifted up;

15 so that whoever 1believes will ain Him have eternal life.

16 “For God so aloved the world, that He bgave His 1conly begotten Son, that whoever dbelieves in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

17 “For God adid not send the Son into the world bto judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

18 “aHe who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of bthe 1only begotten Son of God.

19 “This is the judgment, that athe Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for btheir deeds were evil.

20 “aFor everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

21 “But he who apractices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

John’s Last Testimony

22 After these things Jesus and His adisciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and bbaptizing.

23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized—

24 for aJohn had not yet been thrown into prison.

25 Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about apurification.

26 And they came to John and said to him, “aRabbi, He who was with you bbeyond the Jordan, to whom you chave testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.”

27 John answered and said, “aA man can receive nothing unless it bhas been given him from heaven.

28 “You yourselves 1are my witnesses that I said, ‘aI am not the 2Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’

29 “He who has the bride is athe bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this bjoy of mine has been made full.

30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.

31 “aHe who comes from above is above all, bhe who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. aHe who comes from heaven is above all.

32 “What He has seen and heard, of that He atestifies; and ano one receives His testimony.

33 “He who has received His testimony ahas set his seal to this, that God is true.

34 “For He whom God has asent speaks the words of God; 1bfor He gives the Spirit without measure.

35 “aThe Father loves the Son and bhas given all things into His hand.

36 “He who abelieves in the Son has eternal life; but he who bdoes not 1obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”