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John 3

Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a Pharisee called Nicodemus. He was one of the Jewish leaders. ² He came to speak with Jesus at night. He said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we know that God has sent you to us. We have seen the miracles that you are doing. Nobody could do these things unless God was with him.’ ³ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you this: Unless a person is born from above, they cannot understand the kingdom of God.’ ⁴ Nicodemus asked, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot return into his mother's body. He cannot be born a second time.’ ⁵ Jesus explained, ‘I tell you this: Unless a person is born by water and by God's Spirit, he cannot come into the kingdom of God. ⁶ People give birth to what is human. But God's Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ I said to you, “You must be born from above.” What I said should not surprise you. ⁸ When someone is born by God's Spirit, it is like the wind that blows. The wind blows wherever it chooses to blow. You can hear it. But you do not know where it came from or where it is going.’

⁹ Nicodemus asked, ‘How can this happen?’ ¹⁰ Jesus replied, ‘You are an important teacher of people in Israel. You ought to understand these things! ¹¹ I tell you this: We speak about things that we know. We tell you about what we have seen. But even then, you people do not believe our message. ¹² I have told you about things that happen in this world. And you do not believe me. But now I am telling you about things that happen in heaven. So I do not think that you will ever believe me about those things. ¹³ The Son of Man came down from heaven. Nobody else has gone up to heaven except him. ¹⁴ Long ago Moses lifted up the metal snake in the wilderness to save his people. ^{[ a ]} In the same way, people must lift up the Son of Man on a cross. ¹⁵ As a result, everyone who believes him will be able to live for ever with God. ¹⁶ God loved the people in the world so much that he gave his one and only Son to save them. As a result, everyone who believes in the Son will not die. Instead, they will live for ever with God.’

¹⁷ God did not send his Son into the world because he wanted to punish people. He sent his Son to save the people in the world from punishment. ¹⁸ God will not punish anyone who believes in his Son. But if people refuse to believe in the Son, God has already decided that he must punish them. They have not believed in God's one and only Son. ¹⁹ God's Son has brought light into the world. But some people did not love the light. They loved the dark instead. That was because they were doing evil things. That is why God has decided to punish those people. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil things hates the light. A person like that will not come to the light because he is afraid. He does not want the bad things that he has done to show clearly. ²¹ But anyone who does what is true will come to the light. The light will show clearly that he has been doing what is right. Everyone can see that he has been obeying God.

Jesus and John the Baptist

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the country places in Judea. Jesus stayed there with his disciples for some time, and they baptized people there. ²³ John was also baptizing people. He was at a place called Aenon, near Salim, because there was a lot of water there. People were coming to him and John was baptizing them. ²⁴ (This happened before the rulers put John in prison.) ²⁵ John's disciples began to argue with a certain Jew about some Jewish rules. Those rules told people how they should wash properly. ²⁶ The disciples then came to John. They said to him, ‘Teacher, remember the man, Jesus, that you spoke to us about. He was with you on the other side of the Jordan River. Now he is baptizing people and everyone is going to him.’

²⁷ John replied, ‘A man can receive only what God gives to him, nothing else. ²⁸ You yourselves will remember that I said, “I am not the Messiah, but God sent me to prepare things for the Messiah.” ^{[ b ]} ²⁹ When a man marries a wife, she belongs to him. The man's special friend listens carefully. He wants to know when the man will arrive. That friend is very happy when he hears the man's voice. I am like that friend, so I am completely happy now. ³⁰ Jesus must become greater, but I must become less important.

³¹ The one who comes from above is greater than all things. A person who comes from the earth belongs to the earth. A person like that speaks only about things that belong to the earth. But the one who comes from heaven is greater than all things. ³² He tells people about the things that he has seen. He tells about what he has heard. But people do not believe his message. ³³ Anyone who does believe his message agrees that God is true. ³⁴ The one that God has sent speaks God's words. God has given his Spirit to fill that person completely. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son. He has given his Son authority over all things. ³⁶ Anyone who believes in the Son has life with God for ever. But anyone who refuses to obey the Son will never have life with God. God will continue to be angry with people like that.’

Footnotes

3:14 See Numbers 21:4-9 .
3:28 John the Baptist said that God sent him before the Lord Jesus Christ. He was like someone who brings a message from a king. He had to tell people that the king was coming to visit them. The prophet Malachi had told Israel's people that someone would come before the Christ. This person would tell them that their Messiah (Christ) would come soon.

Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a man named Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees. He was an important Jewish leader. ² One night he came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a teacher sent from God. No one can do these miraculous signs that you do unless they have God’s help.”

³ Jesus answered, “I assure you, everyone must be born again. Anyone who is not born again cannot be in God’s kingdom.”

⁴ Nicodemus said, “How can a man who is already old be born again? Can he go back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Believe me when I say that everyone must be born from water and the Spirit. Anyone who is not born from water and the Spirit cannot enter God’s kingdom. ⁶ The only life people get from their human parents is physical. But the new life that the Spirit gives a person is spiritual. ⁷ Don’t be surprised that I told you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it wants to. You hear it, but you don’t know where it is coming from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born from the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus asked, “How is all this possible?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “You are an important teacher of Israel, and you still don’t understand these things? ¹¹ The truth is, we talk about what we know. We tell about what we have seen. But you people don’t accept what we tell you. ¹² I have told you about things here on earth, but you do not believe me. So I’m sure you will not believe me if I tell you about heavenly things! ¹³ The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is the one who came down from heaven—the Son of Man.

¹⁴ “Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. ^{[ a ]} It is the same with the Son of Man. He must be lifted up too. ¹⁵ Then everyone who believes in him can have eternal life.” ^{[ b ]}

¹⁶ Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged, because they have not believed in God’s only Son. ¹⁹ They are judged by this fact: The light ^{[ c ]} has come into the world. But they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light. They will not come to the light, because the light will show all the bad things they have done. ²¹ But anyone who follows the true way comes to the light. Then the light will show that whatever they have done was done through God.

Jesus and John the Baptizer

²² After this, Jesus and his followers went into the area of Judea. There he stayed with his followers and baptized people. ²³ John was also baptizing people in Aenon, a place near Salim with plenty of water. People were going there to be baptized. ²⁴ This was before John was put in prison.

²⁵ Some of John’s followers had an argument with another Jew about religious washing. ^{[ d ]} ²⁶ Then they came to John and said, “Teacher, remember the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River? He is the one you were telling everyone about. He is also baptizing people, and many are going to him.”

²⁷ John answered, “A person can receive only what God gives. ²⁸ You yourselves heard me say, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only the one God sent to prepare the way for him.’ ²⁹ The bride always belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who helps the bridegroom just waits and listens. He is happy just to hear the bridegroom talk. That’s how I feel now. I am so happy that he is here. ³⁰ He must become more and more important, and I must become less important.

The One Who Comes From Heaven

³¹ “The one who comes from above is greater than all others. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth. He talks about things that are on the earth. But the one who comes from heaven is greater than all others. ³² He tells what he has seen and heard, but people don’t accept what he says. ³³ Whoever accepts what he says has given proof that God speaks the truth. ³⁴ God sent him, and he tells people what God says. God gives him the Spirit fully. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given him power over everything. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. But those who do not obey the Son will never have that life. They cannot get away from God’s anger.”

Footnotes

John 3:14 Moses lifted … desert When God’s people were dying from snake bites, God told Moses to put a brass snake on a pole for them to look at and be healed. See Num. 21:4-9.
John 3:15 Some scholars think that Jesus’ words to Nicodemus continue through verse 21.
John 3:19 light This means Christ, the Word, who brought to the world understanding about God.
John 3:25 religious washing The Jews had religious rules about washing in special ways before eating, before worshiping in the Temple, and at other special times.

3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹ But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

²² After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

²³ And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

²⁴ For John was not yet cast into prison.

²⁵ Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

²⁶ And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

²⁷ John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

²⁸ Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

²⁹ He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹ He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

³² And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

³³ He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

³⁴ For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

³⁵ The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus ^{( A )} who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ^{( B )} ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, ^{( C )} we know ^{( D )} that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs ^{( E )} you are doing if God were not with him.” ^{( F )}

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ^{[ a ]} ” ^{( G )}

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ^{( H )} ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit ^{[ b ]} gives birth to spirit. ^{( I )} ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You ^{[ c ]} 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.” ^{[ d ]} ^{( J )}

⁹ “How can this be?” ^{( K )} Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” ^{( L )} said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, ^{( M )} and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ^{( N )} 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 ^{( O )} except the one who came from heaven ^{( P )} —the Son of Man. ^{[ e ]} ^{( Q )} ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, ^{( R )} so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ^{[ f ]} ^{( S )} ¹⁵ that everyone who believes ^{( T )} may have eternal life in him.” ^{[ g ]} ^{( U )}

¹⁶ For God so loved ^{( V )} the world that he gave ^{( W )} his one and only Son, ^{( X )} that whoever believes ^{( Y )} in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ^{( Z )} ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world ^{( AA )} to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ^{( AB )} ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, ^{( AC )} but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ^{( AD )} ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light ^{( AE )} has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ^{( AF )} ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ^{( AG )} 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.

John Testifies Again About Jesus

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ^{( AH )} ²³ Now John ^{( AI )} also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ^{( AJ )} ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ^{( AK )} ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, ^{( AL )} that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified ^{( AM )} about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ^{( AN )} ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. ^{( AO )} 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. ^{( AP )} ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.” ^{[ h ]}

³¹ The one who comes from above ^{( AQ )} is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. ^{( AR )} The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, ^{( AS )} but no one accepts his testimony. ^{( AT )} ³³ Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent ^{( AU )} speaks the words of God, for God ^{[ i ]} gives the Spirit ^{( AV )} without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ^{( AW )} ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, ^{( AX )} but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Footnotes

John 3:3 The Greek for again also means from above ; also in verse 7.
John 3:6 Or but spirit
John 3:7 The Greek is plural.
John 3:8 The Greek for Spirit is the same as that for wind .
John 3:13 Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven
John 3:14 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted .
John 3:15 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.
John 3:30 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 36.
John 3:34 Greek he

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Table of Contents

John 3

Jesus and Nicodemus

Jesus and John the Baptist

Footnotes

Jesus and Nicodemus

Jesus and John the Baptizer

The One Who Comes From Heaven

Footnotes

The New Birth

John the Baptist’s Last Testimony

Footnotes

Cross references

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

John Testifies Again About Jesus

Footnotes

Cross references

BibleStudyIt John 3

John 3's Chapter Tabs Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

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John 3

Jesus and Nicodemus

Jesus and John the Baptist

Footnotes

Jesus and Nicodemus

Jesus and John the Baptizer

The One Who Comes From Heaven

Footnotes

The New Birth

John the Baptist’s Last Testimony

Footnotes

Cross references

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

John Testifies Again About Jesus

Footnotes

Cross references

John 3's Chapter Tabs
Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.