1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 ^fThis man came to Jesus^{1 g}by 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 you^{6 p}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 ^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

16 “For God so loved the world,^{9 w}that 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.”

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.

1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will ^gput you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you ^hwill think he is offering service to God. 3 And ⁱthey will do these things because they have not ^jknown the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may ^kremember that I told them to you.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now ^lI am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ^m‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, ⁿsorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for ^oif I do not go away, the ^pHelper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I ^qgo to the Father, and ^ryou will see me no longer; 11 concerning ^sjudgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the ^tSpirit of truth comes, ^uhe will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 ^vAll that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

16 ^w“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So ^xsome of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but ^yyour sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts ^zwill rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, ^awhatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. ^bAsk, and you will receive, ^cthat your joy may be full.

25 “I have said these things to you in ^dfigures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, ^ebecause you have loved me and have believed that I came ^ffrom God.¹ 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am ^gleaving the world and going to the Father.”

29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that ^hyou know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when ⁱyou will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am ^jnot alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have ^kpeace. ^lIn the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have ^movercome the world.”