John 3
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Nicodemus Visits Jesus
3 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”[b] 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.[c] 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You[d] must be born from above.’[e] 8 The wind[f] blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you[g] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[h] 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.[i]
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”[j]
Jesus and John the Baptist
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized 24 —John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew.[k] 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,[l] but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”[m]
The One Who Comes from Heaven
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified[n] this, that God is true. 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.
Footnotes
- John 3:2 Gk him
- John 3:3 Or born anew
- John 3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
- John 3:7 The Greek word for you here is plural
- John 3:7 Or anew
- John 3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
- John 3:11 The Greek word for you here and in verse 12 is plural
- John 3:13 Other ancient authorities add who is in heaven
- John 3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation concludes with verse 15
- John 3:21 Some interpreters hold that the quotation concludes with verse 15
- John 3:25 Other ancient authorities read the Jews
- John 3:28 Or the Christ
- John 3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36
- John 3:33 Gk set a seal to
Ioannes 3
Biblia Sacra Vulgata
3 Erat autem homo ex pharisaeis, Nicodemus nomine, princeps Judaeorum.
2 Hic venit ad Jesum nocte, et dixit ei: Rabbi, scimus quia a Deo venisti magister, nemo enim potest haec signa facere, quae tu facis, nisi fuerit Deus cum eo.
3 Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Amen, amen dico tibi, nisi quis renatus fuerit denuo, non potest videre regnum Dei.
4 Dicit ad eum Nicodemus: Quomodo potest homo nasci, cum sit senex? numquid potest in ventrem matris suae iterato introire et renasci?
5 Respondit Jesus: Amen, amen dico tibi, nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua, et Spiritu Sancto, non potest introire in regnum Dei.
6 Quod natum est ex carne, caro est: et quod natum est ex spiritu, spiritus est.
7 Non mireris quia dixi tibi: oportet vos nasci denuo.
8 Spiritus ubi vult spirat, et vocem ejus audis, sed nescis unde veniat, aut quo vadat: sic est omnis qui natus est ex spiritu.
9 Respondit Nicodemus, et dixit ei: Quomodo possunt haec fieri?
10 Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Tu es magister in Israel, et haec ignoras?
11 Amen, amen dico tibi, quia quod scimus loquimur, et quod vidimus testamur, et testimonium nostrum non accipitis.
12 Si terrena dixi vobis, et non creditis: quomodo, si dixero vobis caelestia, credetis?
13 Et nemo ascendit in caelum, nisi qui descendit de caelo, Filius hominis, qui est in caelo.
14 Et sicut Moyses exaltavit serpentem in deserto, ita exaltari oportet Filium hominis:
15 ut omnis qui credit in ipsum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam.
16 Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret: ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam.
17 Non enim misit Deus Filium suum in mundum, ut judicet mundum, sed ut salvetur mundus per ipsum.
18 Qui credit in eum, non judicatur; qui autem non credit, jam judicatus est: quia non credit in nomine unigeniti Filii Dei.
19 Hoc est autem judicium: quia lux venit in mundum, et dilexerunt homines magis tenebras quam lucem: erant enim eorum mala opera.
20 Omnis enim qui male agit, odit lucem, et non venit ad lucem, ut non arguantur opera ejus:
21 qui autem facit veritatem, venit ad lucem, ut manifestentur opera ejus, quia in Deo sunt facta.
22 Post haec venit Jesus et discipuli ejus in terram Judaeam: et illic demorabatur cum eis, et baptizabat.
23 Erat autem et Joannes baptizans, in AEnnon, juxta Salim: quia aquae multae erant illic, et veniebant et baptizabantur.
24 Nondum enim missus fuerat Joannes in carcerem.
25 Facta est autem quaestio ex discipulis Joannis cum Judaeis de purificatione.
26 Et venerunt ad Joannem, et dixerunt ei: Rabbi, qui erat tecum trans Jordanem, cui tu testimonium perhibuisti, ecce hic baptizat, et omnes veniunt ad eum.
27 Respondit Joannes, et dixit: Non potest homo accipere quidquam, nisi fuerit ei datum de caelo.
28 Ipsi vos mihi testimonium perhibetis, quod dixerim: Non sum ego Christus: sed quia missus sum ante illum.
29 Qui habet sponsam, sponsus est: amicus autem sponsi, qui stat, et audit eum, gaudio gaudet propter vocem sponsi. Hoc ergo gaudium meum impletum est.
30 Illum oportet crescere, me autem minui.
31 Qui desursum venit, super omnes est. Qui est de terra, de terra est, et de terra loquitur. Qui de caelo venit, super omnes est.
32 Et quod vidit, et audivit, hoc testatur: et testimonium ejus nemo accipit.
33 Qui accepit ejus testimonium signavit, quia Deus verax est.
34 Quem enim misit Deus, verba Dei loquitur: non enim ad mensuram dat Deus spiritum.
35 Pater diligit Filium et omnia dedit in manu ejus.
36 Qui credit in Filium, habet vitam aeternam; qui autem incredulus est Filio, non videbit vitam, sed ira Dei manet super eum.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.