⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born^(A) of water and the Spirit,^(B) he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ Whatever is born of the flesh^(C) is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit^(D) is spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born^(E) again. ⁸ The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.^(F) So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^(G)

⁹ “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.

¹⁰ “Are you a teacher^[a] of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. ¹¹ “Truly I tell you,^(H) we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. ¹² If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended^(I) into heaven^(J) except the one who descended from heaven^(K) —the Son of Man.^[b](L)

¹⁴ “Just as Moses^(M) lifted up the snake in the wilderness,^(N) so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

⁴⁹ One of them, Caiaphas,^(A) who was high priest^(B) that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰ You’re not considering that it is to your^[a] advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.”^{(C) 51} He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was going to die^(D) for the nation, ⁵² and not for the nation only, but also to unite the scattered children^(E) of God.