| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now there was a man from the Pharisees, a leader of the Jews, whose name was Nicodemus. | 1Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, |
| 2He came to Jesus at night and told him, "Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, because no one can perform these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." | 2came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him." |
| 3Jesus replied to him, "Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God." | 3Jesus replied, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." |
| 4Nicodemus asked him, "How can a person be born when he is old? He can't go back into his mother's womb a second time and be born, can he?" | 4Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time, can he?" |
| 5Jesus answered, "Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. | 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. |
| 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. | 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. |
| 7Don't be astonished that I told you, 'All of you must be born from above.' | 7Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must all be born from above.' |
| 8The wind blows where it wants to. You hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. That's the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." | 8The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." |
| 9Nicodemus asked him, "How can that be?" | 9Nicodemus replied, "How can these things be?" |
| 10Jesus answered him, "You're the teacher of Israel, and you can't understand this? | 10Jesus answered, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don't understand these things? |
| 11Truly, I tell you emphatically, we know what we're talking about, and we testify about what we've seen. Yet you people do not accept our testimony. | 11I tell you the solemn truth, we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. |
| 12If I have told you people about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? | 12If I have told you people about earthly things and you don't 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 who is in heaven. | 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven--the Son of Man. |
| 14Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, | 14Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, |
| 15so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. | 15so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." |
| 16"For this is how God loved the world: He gave his unique Son so that everyone who believes in him might not be lost but have eternal life. | 16For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. |
| 17Because God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. | 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. |
| 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's unique Son. | 18The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. |
| 19And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil. | 19Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. |
| 20Everyone who practices wickedness hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his actions may not be exposed. | 20For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. |
| 21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may become evident that his actions have God's approval." | 21But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God. |
| 22After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside. He spent some time there with them and began baptizing. | 22After this, Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing. |
| 23John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People kept coming and were being baptized, | 23John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming to him and being baptized. |
| 24since John had not yet been thrown into prison. | 24(For John had not yet been thrown into prison.) |
| 25Then a controversy about ritual purification sprang up between a certain Jew and John's disciples, | 25Now a dispute came about between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew concerning ceremonial washing. |
| 26so they went to John and told him, "Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the one about whom you testified—look, he's baptizing, and everyone is going to him!" | 26So they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, about whom you testified--see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!" |
| 27John replied, "No one can receive anything unless it has been given to them from heaven. | 27John replied, "No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. |
| 28You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.' | 28You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but rather, 'I have been sent before him.' |
| 29It is the bridegroom who gets the bride, yet the bridegroom's friend, who merely stands by and listens for him, is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom's voice. That's why this joy of mine is now complete. | 29The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom's voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete. |
| 30He must become more important, but I must become less important." | 30He must become more important while I become less important." |
| 31The one who comes from above is superior to everything. The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to everything. | 31The one who comes from above is superior to all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to all. |
| 32He testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. | 32He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. |
| 33The person who has accepted his testimony has acknowledged that God is truthful. | 33The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful. |
| 34The one whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God does not give the Spirit in limited measure to him. | 34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly. |
| 35The Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands. | 35The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority. |
| 36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him. | 36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him. |
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