Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² He came to Jesus 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 unless God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a man is born again,^[a] 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 a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, 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 this be?”

¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, but you do not know these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly I say to you, We speak of what We know and bear witness of what We have seen, but you do not receive 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 to heaven except He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man who is in heaven. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but may have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the verdict, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that it may be revealed that his deeds have been done in God.”

Jesus and John the Baptist

²² After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea. He remained with them there and baptized. ²³ John also was baptizing in Aenon toward Salim, because much water was there. And people came and were baptized. ²⁴ For John had not yet been put in prison. ²⁵ Then a dispute arose between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about ceremonial cleansing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, look, He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

²⁷ John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves bear witness of me, 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. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.”

He Who Comes From Heaven

³¹ He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He bears witness of what He has seen and heard, yet no one receives His testimony. ³³ He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. ³⁴ For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure to Him. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son, and has placed all things into His hand. ³⁶ He who believes in the Son has eternal life. He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.