Jesus
Teaches Nicodemus
Now there
was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus,
A member
of the Jewish ruling council.
2
He came to Jesus at night and said,
RABBI, WE
KNOW YOU ARE A TEACHER
WHO HAS
COME FROM GOD.
FOR NO ONE
COULD PERFORM
THE
MIRACULOUS SIGNS YOU ARE DOING
IF GOD
WERE NOT WITH HIM.
3
In reply Jesus declared,
I TELL YOU
THE TRUTH,
UNLESS A
MAN IS BORN AGAIN,
HE CANNOT
SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.'
4
How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked.
Surely he
cannot enter a second time
Into his
mother’s womb to be born!
5
Jesus answered,
'I TELL
YOU THE TRUTH,
UNLESS A
MAN IS BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT,
HE CANNOT
ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
6
FLESH GIVE BIRTH TO FLESH,
BUT THE
SPIRIT GIVE BIRTH TO SPIRIT.
7
YOU SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED AT
MY SAYING,
'YOU
SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED AT MY SAYING,
'YOU MUST
BE BORN AGAIN.'
8
The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear
its sound,
But you
cannot tell where it comes from
Or where
it is going.
So it is
with everyone Born of the Spirit.”
9
How can this be? Nicodemus asked.
10
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus,
“And do
you not understand these things?
11
I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know,
And we
testify to what we have seen,
But still
you people do not accept our testimony.
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
Except the
One Who came from Heaven--
The Son of
Man.
14
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert,
So the Son
of Man must be lifted up,
15
That everyone who believes in Him
MAY HAVE
ETERNAL LIFE.
16 FOR GOD
SO LOVED THE WORLD
THAT HE
GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON,
THAT
WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM
SHALL NOT
PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
17 FOR GOD
DID NOT SENT HIS SON INTO THE WORLD
TO CONDEMN
THE WORLD,
BUT TO
SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM.
18 WHOEVER
BELIEVES IN HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED
BUT
WHOEVER DOES NOT BELIEVE
STANDS
CONDEMNED ALREADY
BECAUSE HE
HAS NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME
OF GOD'S
ONE AND ONLY SON.
19 THIS IS
THE VERDICT;
LIGHT HAS
COME INTO THE WORLD
BUT MEN
LOVE DARKNESS INSTEAD OF LIGHT
BECAUSE
THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL.
20
EVERYONE WHO DOES EVIL HATES THE LIGHT,
AND WILL
NOT COME INTO THE LIGHT
FOR FEAR
THAT HIS DEEDS WILL BE EXPOSED.
21 BUT
WHOEVER LIVES BY THE TRUTH
COMES INTO
THE LIGHT
SO THAT IT
MAY BE SEEN PLAINLY
THAT WHAT
HE HAS DONE
HAS BEEN
DONE THROUGH GOD.'
John The
Baptist's Testimony About Jesus
22 After
this, Jesus and His Disciples
Went out
into the Judean countryside,
Where He
spent some time with them,
And
Baptized.
23 Now
John also was Baptizing at Aenon near Salim,
Because
there was plenty of water,
And people
were Constantly Coming to be Baptized.
24 (This
was before John was put in Prison.)
25 An
Argument developed
Between
some of John's disciples and a certain Jew
Over the
matter of ceremonial Washing.
26 They
came to John and said to him,
'Rabbi,
that man who was with you
On the
other side of the Jordan--
The One
you Testified about--
Well, He
is Baptizing,
And
everyone is going to him.'
27 To this
John replied,
'A MAN CAN
RECEIVE ONLY
WHAT IS
GIVEN HIM FROM HEAVEN.
28 You
yourselves can Testify that I said,
'I AM NOT
THE CHRIST
BUT I AM
SENT AHEAD OF HIM.'
29 THE
BRIDE BELONGS TO THE BRIDEGROOM.
The friend
who attends the Bridegroom
Waits and
listens for Him,
And is
Full of Joy when he hears the Bridegroom's voice.
THAT JOY
IS MINE,
AND IT IS
NOW COMPLETE.
30 HE MUST
BECOME GREATER;
I MUST
BECOME LESS.
31 'THE
ONE WHO COMES FROM ABOVE
IS ABOVE
ALL;
THE ONE
WHO IS FROM THE EARTH
BELONGS TO
THE EARTH,
AND SPEAKS
AS ONE FROM THE EARTH.
THE ONE
WHO COMES FROM HEAVEN
IS ABOVE
ALL.
32 HE
TESTIFIES TO WHAT HE HAS SEEN AND HEARD,
BUT NO ONE
ACCEPTS HIS TESTIMONY.
33 THE MAN
WHO HAS ACCEPTED IT
HAS
CERTIFIED THAT GOD IS TRUTHFUL.
34 FOR THE
ONE WHOM GOD HAS SENT
SPEAKS THE
WORDS OF GOD;
TO HIM GOD
GIVES THE SPIRIT WITHOUT LIMIT.
35 THE
FATHER LOVES THE SON
AND HAS
PLACED EVERYTHING IN HIS HANDS.
36 WHOEVER
BELIEVES IN THE SON
HAS
ETERNAL LIFE,
BUT
WHOEVER REJECTS THE SON
WILL NOT
SEE LIFE,
FOR GOD'S
WRATH REMAINS ON HIM.'
(John 3)
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