John 3:1-21

New International Version

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus^(A) who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.^(B) ²He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi,^(C) we know^(D) that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs^(E) you are doing if God were not with him.”^(F)

³Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.^[a]”^(G)

⁴“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.^(H) ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit.^(I) ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[d]^(J)

⁹“How can this be?”^(K) Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰“You are Israel’s teacher,”^(L) said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know,^(M) and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.^(N) ¹²I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³No one has ever gone into heaven^(O) except the one who came from heaven^(P)—the Son of Man.^[e]^(Q) ¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,^(R) so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^[f]^(S) ¹⁵that everyone who believes^(T) may have eternal life in him.”^[g]^(U)

¹⁶For God so loved^(V) the world that he gave^(W) his one and only Son,^(X) that whoever believes^(Y) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.^(Z) ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world^(AA) to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.^(AB) ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned,^(AC) but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.^(AD) ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light^(AE) has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.^(AF) ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.^(AG) ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

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Footnotes

John 3:3 The Greek for again also means from above; also in verse 7.
John 3:6 Or but spirit
John 3:7 The Greek is plural.
John 3:8 The Greek for Spirit is the same as that for wind.
John 3:13 Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven
John 3:14 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.
John 3:15 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.

2 Samuel 22

New International Version

David’s Song of Praise^(A)

22 David sang^(B) to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. ²He said:

“The Lord is my rock,^(C) my fortress^(D) and my deliverer;^(E)
³    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,^(F)
    my shield^[a]^(G) and the horn^[b]^(H) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,^(I) my refuge and my savior—
    from violent people you save me.

⁴“I called to the Lord, who is worthy^(J) of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.
⁵The waves^(K) of death swirled about me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁶The cords of the grave^(L) coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁷“In my distress^(M) I called^(N) to the Lord;
    I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came to his ears.
⁸The earth^(O) trembled and quaked,^(P)
    the foundations^(Q) of the heavens^[c] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁹Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire^(R) came from his mouth,
    burning coals^(S) blazed out of it.
¹⁰He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds^(T) were under his feet.
¹¹He mounted the cherubim^(U) and flew;
    he soared^[d] on the wings of the wind.^(V)
¹²He made darkness^(W) his canopy around him—
    the dark^[e] rain clouds of the sky.
¹³Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning^(X) blazed forth.
¹⁴The Lord thundered^(Y) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
¹⁵He shot his arrows^(Z) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁶The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke^(AA) of the Lord,
    at the blast^(AB) of breath from his nostrils.

¹⁷“He reached down from on high^(AC) and took hold of me;
    he drew^(AD) me out of deep waters.
¹⁸He rescued^(AE) me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁹They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.^(AF)
²⁰He brought me out into a spacious^(AG) place;
    he rescued^(AH) me because he delighted^(AI) in me.^(AJ)

²¹“The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;^(AK)
    according to the cleanness^(AL) of my hands^(AM) he has rewarded me.
²²For I have kept^(AN) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²³All his laws are before me;^(AO)
    I have not turned^(AP) away from his decrees.
²⁴I have been blameless^(AQ) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁵The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,^(AR)
    according to my cleanness^[f] in his sight.

²⁶“To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁷to the pure^(AS) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^(AT)
²⁸You save the humble,^(AU)
    but your eyes are on the haughty^(AV) to bring them low.^(AW)
²⁹You, Lord, are my lamp;^(AX)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
³⁰With your help I can advance against a troop^[g];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³¹“As for God, his way is perfect:^(AY)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;^(AZ)
    he shields^(BA) all who take refuge in him.
³²For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock^(BB) except our God?^(BC)
³³It is God who arms me with strength^[h]
    and keeps my way secure.
³⁴He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;^(BD)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.^(BE)
³⁵He trains my hands^(BF) for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow^(BG) of bronze.
³⁶You make your saving help my shield;^(BH)
    your help has made^[i] me great.
³⁷You provide a broad path^(BI) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁸“I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁹I crushed^(BJ) them completely, and they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
⁴⁰You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.^(BK)
⁴¹You made my enemies turn their backs^(BL) in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴²They cried for help,^(BM) but there was no one to save them—^(BN)
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.^(BO)
⁴³I beat them as fine as the dust^(BP) of the earth;
    I pounded and trampled^(BQ) them like mud^(BR) in the streets.

⁴⁴“You have delivered^(BS) me from the attacks of the peoples;
    you have preserved^(BT) me as the head of nations.
People^(BU) I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁵    foreigners cower^(BV) before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.^(BW)
⁴⁶They all lose heart;
    they come trembling^[j]^(BX) from their strongholds.

⁴⁷“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted^(BY) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!^(BZ)
⁴⁸He is the God who avenges^(CA) me,^(CB)
    who puts the nations under me,
⁴⁹    who sets me free from my enemies.^(CC)
You exalted me^(CD) above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁵⁰Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises^(CE) of your name.^(CF)

⁵¹“He gives his king great victories;^(CG)
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,^(CH)
to David^(CI) and his descendants forever.”^(CJ)

Footnotes

2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
2 Samuel 22:33 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Septuagint manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:32); Masoretic Text who is my strong refuge
2 Samuel 22:36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to make
2 Samuel 22:46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselves