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John 3:9-21
Holman Christian Standard Bible
John 3:9-21
Holman Christian Standard Bible
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 “I assure you:(A) We speak what We know and We testify to what We have seen, but you[b] do not accept Our testimony.[c] 12 If I have told you about things that happen on earth and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about things of heaven? 13 No one has ascended(B) into heaven(C) except the One who descended from heaven(D)—the Son of Man.[d](E) 14 Just as Moses(F) lifted up the snake in the wilderness,(G) so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in Him will[e] have eternal life.(H)
16 “For God loved(I) the world in this way:[f] He gave His One and Only(J) Son,(K) so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.(L) 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn(M) the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned,(N) because he has not believed in the name(O) of the One and Only Son(P) of God.
19 “This, then, is the judgment: The light(Q) has come into the world,(R) and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who practices wicked things hates(S) the light and avoids it,[g] so that his deeds(T) may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by[h] the truth comes to the light, so that his works(U) may be shown to be accomplished by God.”[i]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 3:10 Or the teacher
- John 3:11 In Gk, the word you is pl here and throughout v. 12.
- John 3:11 The pronouns we and our refer to Jesus and His authority to speak for the Father.
- John 3:13 Other mss add who is in heaven
- John 3:15 Other mss add not perish, but
- John 3:16 The Gk word houtos, commonly translated in Jn 3:16 as “so” or “so much” occurs over 200 times in the NT. Almost without exception it is an adverb of manner, not degree (for example, see Mt 1:18). It only means “so much” when modifying an adjective (see Gl 3:3; Rv 16:18). Manner seems primarily in view in Jn 3:16, which explains the HCSB‘s rendering.
- John 3:20 Lit and does not come to the light
- John 3:21 Lit who does
- John 3:21 It is possible that Jesus’ words end at v. 15. Ancient Gk did not have quotation marks.
John 3:9-21
New International Version
John 3:9-21
New International Version
9 “How can this be?”(A) Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,”(B) said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know,(C) and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.(D) 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven(E) except the one who came from heaven(F)—the Son of Man.[a](G) 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,(H) so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[b](I) 15 that everyone who believes(J) may have eternal life in him.”[c](K)
16 For God so loved(L) the world that he gave(M) his one and only Son,(N) that whoever believes(O) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(P) 17 For God did not send his Son into the world(Q) to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.(R) 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned,(S) but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.(T) 19 This is the verdict: Light(U) has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.(V) 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.(W) 21 But 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.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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