The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 Now there was among the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the rulers of the Jews.
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There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees.
2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we are certain that you have come from God as a teacher, because no man would be able to do these signs which you do if God was not with him.
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One night he went to Jesus and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him."
3 Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God.
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Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again."
4 Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for a man to be given birth when he is old? Is he able to go into his mother's body a second time and come to birth again?
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"How can a grown man be born again?" Nicodemus asked. "He certainly cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time!"
5 Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man's birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God.
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"I am telling you the truth," replied Jesus, "that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
6 That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit.
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A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit.
7 Do not be surprised that I say to you, It is necessary for you to have a second birth.
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Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again.
8 The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit.
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The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9 And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be?
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"How can this be?" asked Nicodemus.
10 And Jesus, answering, said, Are you the teacher of Israel and have no knowledge of these things?
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Jesus answered, "You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don't know this?
11 Truly, I say to you, We say that of which we have knowledge; we give witness of what we have seen; and you do not take our witness to be true.
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I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message.
12 If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven?
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You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven?
13 And no one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of man.
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And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven."
14 As the snake was lifted up by Moses in the waste land, even so it is necessary for the Son of man to be lifted up:
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As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 So that whoever has faith may have in him eternal life.
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so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life.
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For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
17 God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him.
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For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.
18 The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God.
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Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God's only Son.
19 And this is the test by which men are judged: the light has come into the world and men have more love for the dark than for the light, because their acts are evil.
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This is how the judgment works: the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil.
20 The light is hated by everyone whose acts are evil and he does not come to the light for fear that his acts will be seen.
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Those who do evil things hate the light and will not come to the light, because they do not want their evil deeds to be shown up.
21 But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God.
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But those who do what is true come to the light in order that the light may show that what they did was in obedience to God.
22 After these things Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judaea, and there he was with them for some time, giving baptism.
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After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the province of Judea, where he spent some time with them and baptized.
23 Now John was then giving baptism at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were given baptism.
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John also was baptizing in Aenon, not far from Salim, because there was plenty of water in that place. People were going to him, and he was baptizing them
24 For at this time John had not been put into prison.
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(This was before John had been put in prison.)
25 Then a question came up between John's disciples and a Jew about washing.
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Some of John's disciples began arguing with a Jew about the matter of ritual washing.
26 And they went to John and said to him, Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the man to whom you gave witness, is now giving baptism, and everyone is going to him.
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So they went to John and told him, "Teacher, you remember the man who was with you on the east side of the Jordan, the one you spoke about? Well, he is baptizing now, and everyone is going to him!"
27 And this was John's answer: A man is unable to have anything if it is not given to him from heaven.
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John answered, "No one can have anything unless God gives it.
28 You yourselves give witness that I said, I am not the Christ. What I said was, I am sent before the Christ.
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You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, "I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.'
29 He who has the bride is the husband: but the husband's friend, whose place is by his side and whose ears are open to him, is full of joy because of the husband's voice: such is my joy, and it is complete.
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The bridegroom is the one to whom the bride belongs; but the bridegroom's friend, who stands by and listens, is glad when he hears the bridegroom's voice. This is how my own happiness is made complete.
30 He has to become greater while I become less.
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He must become more important while I become less important."
31 He who comes from heaven is greater than all others: he who comes from earth is of the earth, and of the earth are his words: he who comes from heaven is over all.
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He who comes from above is greater than all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly matters, but he who comes from heaven is above all.
32 He gives witness of what he has seen and of what has come to his ears; and no man takes his witness as true.
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He tells what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his message.
33 He who so takes his witness has made clear his faith that God is true.
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But whoever accepts his message confirms by this that God is truthful.
34 For he whom God has sent says God's words; and God does not give him the Spirit by measure.
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The one whom God has sent speaks God's words, because God gives him the fullness of his Spirit.
35 The Father has love for the Son and has put all things into his hands.
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The Father loves his Son and has put everything in his power.
36 He who has faith in the Son has eternal life; but he who has not faith in the Son will not see life; God's wrath is resting on him.
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Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but will remain under God's punishment.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.