Hide Me from the Wicked
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
who gaim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting hfrom ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
6 They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
7 But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, iwith their own tongues turned against them;
all who see them will jwag their heads.
9 Then all mankind fears;
they tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him!
Let all the kupright in heart exult!
You Must Be Born Again
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 fThis man came to Jesus1 gby night and said to him, “Rabbi, hwe know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these isigns that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is jborn again2 he cannot see 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 kof water and the Spirit, he cannot lenter the kingdom of God. 6 mThat which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.3 7 nDo not marvel that I said to you, ‘You4 must be born again.’ 8 The wind5 blows where 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, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, owe speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you6 pdo 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 qNo one has ascended into heaven except he who descended rfrom heaven, sthe Son of Man.7 14 And tas Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be ulifted up, 15 that vwhoever believes in him may have eternal life.8
For God So Loved the World
16 “For God so loved the world,9 wthat he gave his only xSon, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not ysend his Son into the world zto condemn the world, but ain order that the world might be saved through him. 18 bWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but cwhoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed din the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the elight has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the flight and does not come to the light, glest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes 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 was hbaptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for iJohn had not yet been put in prison).
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you jbore witness—look, he is baptizing, and kall are going to him.” 27 John answered, l“A person cannot receive even one thing munless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, nthat I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been osent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the pbridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore qthis joy of mine is now complete. 30 rHe must increase, but I must decrease.”10
31 He who comes sfrom above is tabove all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and uspeaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his vseal to this, that God is wtrue. 34 For he whom God has sent xutters the words of God, for yhe gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father zloves the Son and has given aall things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
