You Must Be Born Again

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named 1Nicodemus, 2a ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesusa3 by night and said to him, 4"Rabbi, 5we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do 6unless God is with him."
3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is 7born 8againb he cannot 9see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born 10of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 11That which is born of the flesh is 12flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.c
7 13Do not marvel that I said to you, 'Youd must be born 14again.'
8 15The winde blows 16where it wishes, and you hear its sound, 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 Nicodemus said to him, 17"How can these things be?"
10 Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel 18and yet you do not understand these things?
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, 19we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but 20youf do not receive our testimony.
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 21No one has 22ascended into heaven except 23he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.g
14 And 24as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man 25be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes 26in him 27may have eternal life.h

For God So Loved the World

16 "For 28God so loved 29the world,i30 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not 31perish but have eternal life.
17 For 32God did not send his Son into the world 33to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
18 34Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not 35believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19 36And this is the judgment: 37the light has come into the world, and 38people loved the darkness rather than the light because 39their works were evil.
20 40For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, 41lest his works should be exposed.
21 But whoever 42does what is true 43comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and 44was baptizing.
23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized
24 (for 45John had not yet been put in prison).
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over 46purification.
26 And they came to John and said to him, 47"Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, 48to whom you bore witness--look, he is baptizing, and 49all are going to him."
27 John answered, 50"A person cannot receive even one thing 51unless it is given him 52from heaven.
28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 53'I am not the Christ, but 54I have been sent before him.'
29 55The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. 56The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, 57rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
30 58He must increase, but I must decrease."j
31 59He who comes from above 60is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and 61speaks in an earthly way. 62He who comes from heaven 63is above all.
32 64He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, 65yet no one receives his testimony.
33 Whoever receives his testimony 66sets his seal to this, 67that God is true.
34 For he whom 68God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit 69without measure.
35 70The Father loves the Son and 71has given all things into his hand.
36 72Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; 73whoever does not obey the Son shall not 74see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.