Parallel Bible results for "john 3"

John 3

New Century Version NCV

1 There was a man named Nicodemus who was one of the Pharisees and an important Jewish leader.

2 One night Nicodemus came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we know you are a teacher sent from God, because no one can do the miracles you do unless God is with him."

3 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, unless one is born again, he cannot be in God's kingdom."

4 Nicodemus said, "But if a person is already old, how can he be born again? He cannot enter his mother's body again. So how can a person be born a second time?"

5 But Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, unless one is born from water and the Spirit, he cannot enter God's kingdom.

6 Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.

7 Don't be surprised when I tell you, 'You must all be born again.'

8 The wind blows where it wants to and you hear the sound of it, but you don't know where the wind comes from or where it is going. It is the same with every person who is born from the Spirit."

9 Nicodemus asked, "How can this happen?"

10 Jesus said, "You are an important teacher in Israel, and you don't understand these things?

11 I tell you the truth, we talk about what we know, and we tell about what we have seen, but you don't accept what we tell you.

12 I have told you about things here on earth, and you do not believe me. So you will not believe me if I tell you about things of heaven.

13 The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is the One who came down from heaven -- the Son of Man.

14 "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, the Son of Man must also be lifted up.

15 So that everyone who believes can have eternal life in him.

16 "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.

17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.

18 People who believe in God's Son are not judged guilty. Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty, because they have not believed in God's one and only Son.

19 They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things.

20 All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do.

21 But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done through God."

22 After this, Jesus and his followers went into the area of Judea, where he stayed with his followers and baptized people.

23 John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were going there to be baptized.

24 (This was before John was put into prison.)

25 Some of John's followers had an argument with a Jew about religious washing.

26 So they came to John and said, "Teacher, remember the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you spoke about so much? He is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."

27 John answered, "A man can get only what God gives him.

28 You yourselves heard me say, 'I am not the Christ, but I am the one sent to prepare the way for him.'

29 The bride belongs only to the bridegroom. But the friend who helps the bridegroom stands by and listens to him. He is thrilled that he gets to hear the bridegroom's voice. In the same way, I am really happy.

30 He must become greater, and I must become less important.

31 "The One who comes from above is greater than all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about things on the earth. But the One who comes from heaven is greater than all.

32 He tells what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he says.

33 Whoever accepts what he says has proven that God is true.

34 The One whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God gives him the Spirit fully.

35 The Father loves the Son and has given him power over everything.

36 Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who do not obey the Son will never have life. God's anger stays on them."

New Living Translation NLT

1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.

2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.

6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things?

11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony.

12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

16 “For this is how 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.

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. ”

22 Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.

23 At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism.

24 (This was before John was thrown into prison.)

25 A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing.

26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”

27 John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.

28 You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’

29 It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success.

30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

31 “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else.

32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!

33 Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true.

34 For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit.

35 The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands.

36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”