John 3

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 There was one of the Pharisees called Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews,	1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 who came to Jesus by night and said, 'Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher; forno one could perform the signs that you do unless God were with him.'	2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him."
3 Jesus answered: In al truth I tel you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born fromabove.	3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
4 Nicodemus said, 'How can anyone who is already old be born? Is it possible to go back into the wombagain and be born?'	4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"
5 Jesus replied: In al truth I tel you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born throughwater and the Spirit;	5 Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
6 what is born of human nature is human; what is born of the Spirit is spirit.	6 What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be surprised when I say: You must be born from above.	7 Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.'
8 The wind blows where it pleases; you can hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from orwhere it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.	8 The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9 'How is that possible?' asked Nicodemus.	9 Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can this happen?"
10 Jesus replied, 'You are the Teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things!	10 Jesus answered and said to him, "You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
11 'In al truth I tel you, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence.	11 Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony.
12 If you do not believe me when I speak to you about earthly things, how wil you believe me when Ispeak to you about heavenly things?	12 If I tell 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;	13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
14 as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up	14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.	15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
16 For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him maynot perish but may have eternal life.	16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
17 For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might besaved.	17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
18 No one who believes in him wil be judged; but whoever does not believe is judged already, becausethat person does not believe in the Name of God's only Son.	18 Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19 And the judgement is this: though the light has come into the world people have preferred darkness tothe light because their deeds were evil.	19 And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.
20 And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, to prevent his actions from beingshown up;	20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.
21 but whoever does the truth comes out into the light, so that what he is doing may plainly appear asdone in God.'	21 But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
22 After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the Judaean countryside and stayed with them there andbaptised.	22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing.
23 John also was baptising at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and people were goingthere and were being baptised.	23 John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized,
24 For John had not yet been put in prison.	24 for John had not yet been imprisoned.
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew about purification,	25 Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings.
26 so they went to John and said, 'Rabbi, the man who was with you on the far side of the Jordan, theman to whom you bore witness, is baptising now, and everyone is going to him.'	26 So they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him."
27 John replied: 'No one can have anything except what is given him from heaven.	27 John answered and said, "No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven.
28 'You yourselves can bear me out. I said, "I am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent to go infront of him."	28 You yourselves can testify that I said (that) I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him.
29 'It is the bridegroom who has the bride; and yet the bridegroom's friend, who stands there and listensto him, is fil ed with joy at the bridegroom's voice. This is the joy I feel, and it is complete.	29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete.
30 He must grow greater, I must grow less.	30 He must increase; I must decrease."
31 He who comes from above is above al others; he who is of the earth is earthly himself and speaks inan earthly way. He who comes from heaven	31 The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven (is above all).
32 bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, but his testimony is not accepted by anybody;	32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
33 though anyone who does accept his testimony is attesting that God is true,	33 Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
34 since he whom God has sent speaks God's own words, for God gives him the Spirit without reserve.	34 For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
35 The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to his hands.	35 The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
36 Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son willnever see life: God's retribution hangs over him.'	36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.