John 3

1There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

2This man came to him by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, for no one is able to do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

3Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”

4Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”

5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he is not able to enter the kingdom of God.”

6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’

8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from and where it goes. So it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit.

9Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can these things happen?”

10Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things?”

11Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak what we know and testify to what we have seen, and you do not receive our testimony.

12If I told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

13And no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.

14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

15so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

16For God loved the world in this way: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

17For God did not send the Son into the world so that he might judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.

18The one who believes in him is not judged; but the one who does not believe has already been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

19And this is the judgment: that the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil.

20For everyone who practices evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works be exposed.

21But the one who does the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be revealed, because they have been done in God.

22After these things, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea, and there he was spending time with them and baptizing.

23John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there were many waters there, and people were coming and being baptized.

24For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25Then a dispute arose between John's disciples and a Jew about purification.

26And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

27John answered and said, “A man is not able to receive even one thing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”

28You yourselves bear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’

29The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine has been made complete.

30He must increase, but I must decrease.

31The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.

32What he has seen and heard, this he testifies to, and no one receives his testimony.

33Whoever has received his testimony has certified that God is true.

34For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

35The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.