John 3
1 There was a man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, one of the Jewish leaders.
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, because no one can perform these signs you are performing unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you: unless someone is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person be born when they are old? Can they enter their mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you: unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, they cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be surprised that I told you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows wherever it wants, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus asked, “How can this happen?”
10 Jesus replied, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not know these things?
11 Truly, truly, I tell you: we speak about what we know and testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony.
12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man.
14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not judged; whoever does not believe has already been judged, because they have not believed in the name of God’s only Son.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness more than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.
21 But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be clear that their deeds have been done in God.
22 After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptized.
23 John was also baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; people kept coming and being baptized.
24 For John had not yet been put in prison.
25 Then a discussion arose between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification.
26 They went to John and said, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27 John replied, “A person can receive nothing unless it has been given to them from heaven.
28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him.’
29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The bridegroom’s friend, who stands by and listens to him, is filled with joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete.
30 He must increase, and I must decrease.”
31 The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, and no one accepts his testimony.
33 Whoever accepts his testimony confirms that God is true.
34 For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God, because he gives the Spirit without measure.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, and the wrath of God remains on him.
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