³ Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone ^(A)is born ^[a]again he cannot see ^(B)the kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of ^(C)water and the Spirit, he cannot enter ^(D)the kingdom of God. ^6 (E)That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born ^[b]again.’ ^8 (F)The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”

²² Since you have ^(A)purified your souls ^(B)in obedience to the truth for a ^(C)sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from ^[a]the heart, ²³ for you have been ^(D)born again ^(E)not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring ^(F)word of God.