John 3
New Matthew Bible
The conversation of Christ with Nicodemus. The teaching and baptism of John, and what witness he bears of Christ.
3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God. For no man could do such miracles as you do unless God were with him.
3 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly truly I say to you, unless a man be born anew, 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 into his mother’s womb and be born again?
5 Jesus answered, Truly truly I say to you, unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 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 Marvel not that I said to you, you must be born anew. 8 The wind blows where it will, and you hear its sound, but cannot tell from whence it comes and where it goes. That is how it is with everyone that is born of the Spirit.
9 And Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said to him, Are you a teacher in Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Truly truly I say to you, we speak what we know and testify what we have seen, and you people do not receive our witness. 12 If when I tell you all earthly things, you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man ascends up to heaven but he who came down from heaven; that is to say, the Son of man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 so that no one who believes in him will perish, but will have eternal life.
16 For God so loves the world that he has given his only Son, so that none who believe in him should perish, but should have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world through him could be saved. 18 Whoever believes on him shall not be condemned. But whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he does not believe in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation: that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness more 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 reproved. 21 But whoever does truth comes to the light, so that his deeds may be known, that they are wrought in God.
22 After these things, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and there he spent time with them and baptized. 23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there, and people came and were baptized. 24 For John had not yet been cast into prison.
25 And there arose a question between John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. 26 And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, of whom you bear witness, behold, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.
27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing at all unless it is given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves are witnesses that I said I am not the Christ, but have been sent before him. 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and hears him, rejoices greatly to hear the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this my joy is fulfilled. 30 He must increase in renown, and I must decrease.
31 He who comes from on high 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 and what he has seen and heard, that he testifies; but no one receives his testimony. 33 However, the person who has received his testimony has set to his seal that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For God does not give the Spirit by measure (to him). 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36 The person who believes on the Son has everlasting life, and the person who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
John 3
Living Bible
3 1-2 After dark one night a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus, a member of the sect of the Pharisees, came for an interview with Jesus. “Sir,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miracles are proof enough of this.”
3 Jesus replied, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God.”
4 “Born again!” exclaimed Nicodemus. “What do you mean? How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “What I am telling you so earnestly is this: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit,[a] he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 6 Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven; 7 so don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again! 8 Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit. We do not know on whom he will next bestow this life from heaven.”
9 “What do you mean?” Nicodemus asked.
10-11 Jesus replied, “You, a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I am telling you what I know and have seen—and yet you won’t believe me. 12 But if you don’t even believe me when I tell you about such things as these that happen here among men, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven? 13 For only I, the Messiah,[b] have come to earth and will return to heaven again. 14 And as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole, 15 so that anyone who believes in me will have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son[c] so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
18 “There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust him to save them. But those who don’t trust him have already been tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God. 19 Their sentence is based on this fact: that the Light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished. 21 But those doing right come gladly to the Light to let everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to.”
22 Afterwards Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and stayed for a while in Judea and baptized there.
23-24 At this time John the Baptist was not yet in prison. He was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. 25 One day someone began an argument with John’s disciples, telling them that Jesus’ baptism was best.[d] 26 So they came to John and said, “Master, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River—the one you said was the Messiah—he is baptizing too, and everybody is going over there instead of coming here to us.”
27 John replied, “God in heaven appoints each man’s work. 28 My work is to prepare the way for that man so that everyone will go to him. You yourselves know how plainly I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am here to prepare the way for him—that is all. 29 The crowds will naturally go to the main attraction[e]—the bride will go where the bridegroom is! A bridegroom’s friends rejoice with him. I am the Bridegroom’s friend, and I am filled with joy at his success. 30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
31 “He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of earth. 32 He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! 33-34 Those who believe him discover that God is a fountain of truth. For this one—sent by God—speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. 35 The Father loves this man because he is his Son, and God has given him everything there is. 36 And all who trust him—God’s Son—to save them have eternal life; those who don’t believe and obey him shall never see heaven, but the wrath of God remains upon them.”
Footnotes
- John 3:5 Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, or “Physical birth is not enough. You must be born spiritually.” This alternate paraphrase interprets “born of water” as meaning the normal process observed during every human birth. Some think this means water baptism.
- John 3:13 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- John 3:16 his only Son, or “the unique Son of God.” So also in v. 18.
- John 3:25 that Jesus’ baptism was best, literally, “about purification.”
- John 3:29 The crowds will naturally go to the main attraction, implied.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.