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Conversation with Nicodemus
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that yoʋ are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs yoʋ are doing unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to yoʋ, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person be born when he is old? Can he enter the womb of his mother a second time and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to yoʋ, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter 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 Do not be amazed that I said to yoʋ, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes. Yoʋ hear the sound of it, but yoʋ do not know where it is coming from or where it is going; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 In response Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered him, “Yoʋ are the teacher of Israel, and yoʋ do not understand these things?
11 Truly, truly, I say to yoʋ, we speak of what we know, and we testify about what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.
12 If I have spoken to you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I speak to you about heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended into heaven, except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
20 For whoever does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his works may not be exposed.
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes to the light, so that it may be evident that his works have been done in obedience to God.”
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22 After this Jesus went into the Judean countryside along with his disciples, and he spent some time there with them, baptizing people.
23 Now John was also baptizing people in Aenon near Salem, because there was plenty of water there, and people were coming to him and being baptized.
24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)
25 Now a discussion arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about purification.
26 So John's disciples came and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with yoʋ beyond the Jordan, about whom yoʋ have testified, behold, he is baptizing people, and everyone is going to him.”
27 John replied, “A person cannot receive anything unless it is given to him from heaven.
28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but rather, ‘I have been sent ahead of him.’
29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
He Who Comes from Heaven
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. But he who comes from heaven is above all.
32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.
33 Whoever does receive his testimony has certified that God is true.
34 For he whom God sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure.
35 The Father loves the Son and has put all things in his hand.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life; rather, the wrath of God remains upon him.