John 2:13-3:21

English Standard Version

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

^13 (A)The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus ^(B)went up to Jerusalem. ^14 (C)In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. ¹⁵ And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make ^(D)my Father's house a house of trade.” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, ^(E)“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

¹⁸ So the Jews said to him, ^(F)“What sign do you show us for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, ^(G)“Destroy this temple, and in three days ^(H)I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,^[a] and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking about ^(I)the temple of his body. ²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, ^(J)his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed ^(K)the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus Knows What Is in Man

²³ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name ^(L)when they saw the signs that he was doing. ²⁴ But Jesus ^(M)on his part did not entrust himself to them, because ^(N)he knew all people ²⁵ and needed no one to bear witness about man, for ^(O)he himself knew what was in man.

You Must Be Born Again

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named ^(P)Nicodemus, ^(Q)a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus^{[b] (R)}by night and said to him, ^(S)“Rabbi, ^(T)we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do ^(U)unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is ^(V)born ^(W)again^[c] he cannot ^(X)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 one is born ^(Y)of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ^6 (Z)That which is born of the flesh is ^(AA)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.^{[d] 7 (AB)}Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You^[e] must be born ^(AC)again.’ ^8 (AD)The wind^[f] blows ^(AE)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, ^(AF)“How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel ^(AG)and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(AH)we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but ^(AI)you^[g] do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ^13 (AJ)No one has ^(AK)ascended into heaven except ^(AL)he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.^{[h] 14} And ^(AM)as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man ^(AN)be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes ^(AO)in him ^(AP)may have eternal life.^[i]

For God So Loved the World

¹⁶ “For ^(AQ)God so loved ^(AR)the world,^{[j] (AS)}that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not ^(AT)perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For ^(AU)God did not send his Son into the world ^(AV)to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ^18 (AW)Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not ^(AX)believed in the name of the only Son of God. ^19 (AY)And this is the judgment: ^(AZ)the light has come into the world, and ^(BA)people loved the darkness rather than the light because ^(BB)their works were evil. ^20 (BC)For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, ^(BD)lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever ^(BE)does what is true ^(BF)comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”