Jesus and Nicodemus (Genesis 22:1–10; Romans 5:6–11)
1 UST Now there was a man named Nicodemus. He was a member of{ a strict Jewish religious group called} the Pharisees. He was a member of the highest Jewish governing council. BSB BSB: Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
2 UST He visited Jesus at night. He said to Jesus,“Teacher, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God.{ We know this} because no one can do these miracles you are doing unless God is helping him.” BSB BSB: He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
3 UST Jesus replied to Nicodemus and said,“I am telling you the truth: No one can enter where God rules without being born a second time.” BSB BSB: Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
4 UST Then Nicodemus said to him,“How can a person be born again when he is old? No one can enter his mother’ s womb and be born a second time!” BSB BSB: “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”
5 UST Jesus answered,“I am telling you the truth: no one can enter where God rules unless he is born again by water and the Spirit. BSB BSB: Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
6 UST If a human being gives birth to a person,{ that person} is a human being. But those who are born{ again} by the{ work of God’ s} Spirit have a new spiritual nature{ that God makes within them}. BSB BSB: Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.
7 UST Do not be astonished because I told you that you must be born again. BSB BSB: Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’
8 UST The Holy Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to blow. Although you can hear the sound of the wind, you do not know where the wind came from or where it is going.{ Just as you do not understand these things,} so{ also you do not understand} everyone who is born{ again} by the{ work of God’ s} Spirit.” BSB BSB: The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 UST Nicodemus answered him,“How is this possible?” BSB BSB: “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 UST Jesus answered him,“You are an important religious teacher among the people of Israel, so you should understand what I am saying! BSB BSB: “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?
11 UST I am telling you the truth: my disciples and I say the things that we know are true, and we are telling you the things that we have witnessed. Yet you people{ to whom we say these things} reject what we are saying. BSB BSB: Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.
12 UST Since you people do not trust what I say when I tell you about things that happen on this earth, you certainly will not trust what I say when I tell you about things that happen in heaven! BSB BSB: If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
13 UST I, the Son of Man, am the only one who has gone up to heaven, and I am the only one who has come down{ to earth} from heaven. BSB BSB: No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
14 UST { Long ago, when the Israelites were wandering} in the wilderness, Moses lifted up a{ bronze model of a poisonous} snake{ on a pole, and all who looked up at it were saved from the snakes}. In the same way, people must lift me, the Son of Man, up{ on a cross}. BSB BSB: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 UST { They will lift me up} so that whoever looks up and trusts in me will live forever{ with me in heaven}. BSB BSB: that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
17 UST { This is true} because God did not send me, his Son, into the world in order to declare the world’ s people guilty. Rather,{ God sent me} in order to save the world’ s people by me. BSB BSB: For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
18 UST God does not declare guilty anyone who trusts in his Son. But God has already declared guilty everyone who does not trust in his Son, because they did not trust in the name of the Unique Son of God. BSB BSB: Whoever 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 one and only Son.
19 UST Now God’ s judicial ruling is as follows:{ the one who is} the light entered the world, but people loved evil instead of him, because they do evil deeds. BSB BSB: And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.
20 UST { They love the darkness} because every person who continually does evil deeds hates{ the one who is} the light and will never come to him.{ They avoid the light} so that the light might not reveal what they do. BSB BSB: Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 UST But the person who continually does true deeds comes to the one who is the light so that the light might show everyone what he does{ and so that everyone might know} that God was helping him do these deeds.” BSB BSB: But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”
John’s Testimony about Jesus 22 UST After those things happened, Jesus and his disciples entered the region of Judea. He stayed there for a while with his disciples and baptized many people. BSB BSB: After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.
23 UST John the Baptizer was also baptizing people near the town of Aenon, which is near the town of Salim in the region of Samaria.{ He was baptizing people there} because there was much water in that place, and people kept coming to John to be baptized. BSB BSB: Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.
24 UST { John could do this} because John’ s enemies had not yet put him in prison. BSB BSB: (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)
25 UST Then some of John’ s disciples started arguing with a Jewish man about Jewish religious cleansing laws. BSB BSB: Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.
26 UST Those who were arguing came to John and said,“Teacher, there was a man who was with you when you were baptizing people on the other side of the Jordan River. You had testified about who he was. Look! Now he is baptizing people, and many people are going out to him!” BSB BSB: So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”
27 UST John answered,“Nobody can receive anything unless God gives it to him. BSB BSB: John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
28 UST You are surely witnesses to me saying that I am not the Messiah, but I am the one whom God has sent before the Messiah. BSB BSB: You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’
29 UST The bride belongs to the bridegroom. I am like the friend of the bridegroom. I stand and listen to him and am very happy because I hear the bridegroom’ s voice. Therefore,{ because the bride is going to the bridegroom}, I am extremely joyful. BSB BSB: The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
30 UST { Jesus, the bridegroom,} must become more influential, and I,{ the bridegroom’ s friend,} must become less influential. BSB BSB: He must increase; I must decrease.
31 UST Jesus comes from heaven, and he is greater than everyone and everything. Those{ like myself} who are from the earth can only speak{ with the limited perspective of someone} from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is greater than everyone and everything on the earth. BSB BSB: The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.
32 UST Jesus tells people about the things he has seen and heard{ in heaven}, but very few people accept what he says. BSB BSB: He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.
33 UST { However,} whoever believes what Jesus says has verified that God is truthful. BSB BSB: Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.
34 UST { This is} because this Jesus whom God has sent says God’ s words.{ We know he says God’ s words} because God surely gives his Spirit to him without limit. BSB BSB: For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
35 UST God the Father loves the Son and has given him authority over everything. BSB BSB: The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
36 UST Whoever trusts in God’ s Son will live forever{ with him in heaven}. Whoever does not obey the Son of God will never have eternal life. Rather, God will continually be furious with him.” BSB BSB: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”