Psalm 131

A Childlike Spirit

A song of ascents. Of David.

Cleansing the Temple

¹³ The Jewish Passover^(A) was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.^{(B) 14} In the temple^(C) he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. ¹⁵ After making a whip out of cords,^(D) he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep^(E) and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. ¹⁶ He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s^(F) house^(G) into a marketplace!”^[a](H)

¹⁷ And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal^(I) for your house will consume^(J) me.^[b](K)

¹⁸ So the Jews replied to him, “What sign will you show us for doing these things?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple,^[c](L) and I will raise it up in three days.”^(M)

²⁰ Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build,^[d] and will you raise it up in three days?” ^(N)

²¹ But he was speaking about the temple of his body.^{(O) 22} So when he was raised from the dead,^(P) his disciples remembered that he had said this,^(Q) and they believed the Scripture^(R) and the statement Jesus had made.

²³ While he was in Jerusalem^(S) during the Passover Festival,^(T) many believed in his name^(U) when they saw the signs he was doing. ²⁴ Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all ²⁵ and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.^(V)

Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a man from the Pharisees^(W) named Nicodemus,^(X) a ruler^(Y) of the Jews. ² This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi,^(Z) we know that you are a teacher^(AA) who has come from God,^(AB) for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”^(AC)

³ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,^[e](AD) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”^(AE)

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^(AF) of water and the Spirit,^(AG) he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ Whatever is born of the flesh^(AH) is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit^(AI) is spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born^(AJ) 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.^(AK) So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^(AL)

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

¹⁰ “Are you a teacher^[f] of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. ¹¹ “Truly I tell you,^(AM) 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^(AN) into heaven^(AO) except the one who descended from heaven^(AP) —the Son of Man.^[g](AQ)

¹⁴ “Just as Moses^(AR) lifted up the snake in the wilderness,^(AS) so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him may^[h] have eternal life.^{(AT) 16} For God loved^(AU) the world in this way:^[i] He gave^[j] his one and only^(AV) Son,^(AW) so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.^{(AX) 17} For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn^(AY) 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,^(AZ) because he has not believed in the name^(BA) of the one and only Son^(BB) of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment: The light^(BC) has come into the world,^(BD) and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates^(BE) the light and avoids it,^[k] so that his deeds^(BF) may not be exposed. ²¹ But anyone who lives by^[l] the truth comes to the light, so that his works^(BG) may be shown to be accomplished by God.”