John 3:11-21

Contemporary English Version

¹¹ I tell you for certain we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. ^12 (A) If you don't believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?

^13 (B) No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. ^14 (C) And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as the metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert.^{[a] 15} Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.

¹⁶ God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. ¹⁷ God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! ¹⁸ No one who has faith in God's Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn't have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God's only Son.

¹⁹ The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. ²⁰ People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done. ²¹ But everyone who lives by the truth will come to the light, because they want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do.