John 3:1-21
Christian Standard Bible
Jesus and Nicodemus
3 There was a man from the Pharisees(A) named Nicodemus,(B) a ruler(C) of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi,(D) we know that you are a teacher(E) who has come from God,(F) for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”(G)
3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,[a](H) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”(I)
4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born(J) of water and the Spirit,(K) he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh(L) is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit(M) is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born(N) 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.(O) So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”(P)
9 “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.
10 “Are you a teacher[b] of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. 11 “Truly I tell you,(Q) 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(R) into heaven(S) except the one who descended from heaven(T) —the Son of Man.[c](U)
14 “Just as Moses(V) lifted up the snake in the wilderness,(W) so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may[d] have eternal life.(X) 16 For God loved(Y) the world in this way:[e] He gave[f] his one and only(Z) Son,(AA) so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.(AB) 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn(AC) the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned,(AD) because he has not believed in the name(AE) of the one and only Son(AF) of God. 19 This is the judgment: The light(AG) has come into the world,(AH) and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates(AI) the light and avoids it,[g] so that his deeds(AJ) may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by[h] the truth comes to the light, so that his works(AK) may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
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- 3:3 Or from above, also in v. 7
- 3:10 Or the teacher
- 3:13 Other mss add who is in heaven
- 3:15 Other mss add not perish, but
- 3:16 Or this much
- 3:16 Or For in this way God loved the world, and so he gave, or For God so loved the world that he gave
- 3:20 Lit and does not come to the light
- 3:21 Lit who does
John 3:1-21
Lexham English Bible
A Meeting with Nicodemus
3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees whose name was[a] Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are[b] a teacher who has come from God, for no one is able to perform these signs that you are performing unless God were with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless someone is born from above,[c] he is not able to see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is an old man? He is not able to enter into his mother’s womb for the second time and be born, can he?”[d]
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless someone is born of water and spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘It is necessary for you to be born from above.’[e] 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly I say to you, we speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony! 12 If I tell you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 And no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,[f] thus it is necessary that the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”[g]
God’s Love for the World
16 For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world in order that he should judge[h] the world, but in order that the world should be saved through him. 18 The one who believes in him is not judged,[i] but the one who does not believe has already been judged,[j] because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: that the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who practices evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed. 21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, in order that his deeds may be revealed, that they are done in God.
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- John 3:1 Literally “the name to him”
- John 3:2 Here both the pronoun and verb are understood in Greek and are supplied in the translation
- John 3:3 The same Greek word can mean either “from above” or “again,” which allows for the misunderstanding by Nicodemus here; Jesus was speaking of new birth “from above,” while Nicodemus misunderstood him to mean a second physical birth
- John 3:4 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “can he”
- John 3:7 The same Greek word can mean either “from above” or “again” (see also v. 3)
- John 3:14 An allusion to Num 21:5–9
- John 3:15 Some interpreters and Bible translations extend the quotation of Jesus’ words through v. 21
- John 3:17 Or “he should condemn”
- John 3:18 Or “condemned”
- John 3:18 Or “been condemned”
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