John 3 (NDE) · Opened

1Kwakulendoda engumFarisi eyayithiwa nguNikhodimasi, ililunga lomphakathi wamaJuda abusayo.Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.

2Yaya kuJesu ebusuku yathi, “Rabi, siyazi ukuthi ungumfundisi ovela kuNkulunkulu. Ngoba kakho obengayenza imimangaliso oyenzayo wena nxa uNkulunkulu engelaye.”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.”

3UJesu waphendula wathi, “Ngempela ngiqinisile ngithi kini, akakho ozawubona umbuso kaNkulunkulu ngaphandle kokuba azalwe kutsha.”Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

4UNikhodimasi wathi, “Kanti umuntu angazalwa kanjani yena esemdala na? Ngeqiniso, angazake angene ngokwesibili esiswini sikanina ukuze azalwe!”“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?”

5UJesu waphendula wathi, “Ngempela ngiqinisile ngithi, ngaphandle kokuthi umuntu azalwe ngamanzi langoMoya, angeke awungene umbuso kaNkulunkulu.Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

6Inyama izala inyama, kodwa uMoya uzala umoya.Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.

7Ungamangaliswa yikuthi ngithi, ‘Kumele lizalwe kutsha.’Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’

8Umoya uphephethela loba kungaphi lapho othanda khona. Ungakuzwa ukuvunguza kwawo, kodwa ungeke utsho ukuthi uvela ngaphi loba ukuthi uya ngaphi. Ngakho kunjalo emuntwini wonke ozelwe ngoMoya.”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.”

9UNikhodimasi wabuza wathi, “Lokhu kungenzeka kanjani na?”“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10UJesu wathi, “Ungumfundisi wako-Israyeli, pho kungani ungazwisisi izinto lezi na?“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?

11Ngiqinisile ngithi sikhuluma ngesikwaziyo njalo sifakaza ngesikubonileyo, kodwa lina bantu kalibamukeli ubufakazi bethu.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.

12Ngikhulume kini ngezinto zalapha emhlabeni, kodwa kalikholwa; pho lizakholwa kanjani nxa ngingakhuluma ngokwasezulwini?If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

13Kakho osewake waya ezulwini ngaphandle kwalowo owavela ezulwini, iNdodana yoMuntu.No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.

14NjengoMosi owaphakamisa inyoka enkangala, ngokunjalo iNdodana yoMuntu kumele iphakanyiswe,Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

15ukuze kuthi lowo lalowo okholwa kuyo abe lokuphila okungapheliyo.”that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

16UNkulunkulu walithanda ilizwe kangaka waze wanikela iNdodana yakhe eyiyo yodwa ukuze kuthi loba ngubani okholwa kuyo angabhubhi, kodwa abe lokuphila okungapheliyo.For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17Ngoba uNkulunkulu kathumanga iNdodana yakhe emhlabeni ukuze iwulahle umhlaba, kodwa ukuze umhlaba usindiswe ngayo.For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

18Loba ngubani okholwa kuyo kalahlwa, kodwa ongakholwayo uvele uselahliwe ngoba kakholwanga ebizweni leNdodana eyiyo yodwa kaNkulunkulu.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.

19Nanku ukuqunywa kwecala: Ukukhanya sekufikile emhlabeni, kodwa abantu bathanda ubumnyama kulokukhanya ngoba imisebenzi yabo yayimibi.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.

20Wonke umuntu owenza ububi uyakuzonda ukukhanya, njalo kezi ekukhanyeni ngoba esesaba ukuthi izenzo zakhe zizabekwa obala.Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

21Kodwa loba ngubani ophila ngeqiniso uyeza ekukhanyeni ukuze kubonakale kamhlophe ukuthi lokho akwenzileyo ukwenze ngoNkulunkulu.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.”

22Ngemva kwalokhu uJesu labafundi bakhe basuka baya emaphandleni aseJudiya lapho ahlala labo okwesikhathi esithile ebhaphathiza.After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

23Ngalesosikhathi uJohane laye wayebhaphathiza e-Ayenoni eduze leSalimi ngoba kwakulamanzi amanengi njalo abantu babethululeka kokuphela bezobhaphathizwa.Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.

24(Lokhu kwakumandulo kokuphoselwa kukaJohane entolongweni.)(For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

25Kwavuka ukuphikisana phakathi kwabanye abafundi bakaJohane lomunye umJuda mayelana lomkhuba wokuzihlambulula.Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.

26Beza kuJohane bathi kuye, “Rabi, indoda leyana eyayilawe ngaphetsheya kweJodani; yona leyana owafakaza ngayo; iyabhaphathiza bonke abantu sebesiya kuyo.”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.”

27Waphendula uJohane wathi, “Umuntu wamukela kuphela lokho akuphiwayo kuvela ezulwini.John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.

28Lina ngokwenu lingakufakaza ukuthi ngathi, ‘Kangisuye uKhristu, kodwa ngithunyiwe ukumandulela.’You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’

29Umtshakazi ngowomyeni. Umkhaphi womyeni uyamnakekela, amlalele, abelokuthokoza nxa esizwa ilizwi lomyeni. Lokho kuthokoza ngokwami njalo okwamanje sekuphelele.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.

30Yena ufanele abemkhulu; mina kufanele kunciphe ukuqakatheka kwami.”He must increase; I must decrease.

31Lowo ovela phezulu ungaphezulu kwakho konke; lowo ovela emhlabeni ungowomhlaba, ukhuluma njengalowo ovela emhlabeni. Lowo ovela ezulwini ungaphezu kwakho konke.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.

32Ufakaza ngalokho akubonileyo lakuzwileyo, kodwa kakho owamukela ubufakazi bakhe.He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

33Lowomuntu obamukelayo usegcizelele ukuthi uNkulunkulu uqinisile.Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.

34Ngoba lowo uNkulunkulu amthumileyo ukhuluma amazwi kaNkulunkulu; yena uNkulunkulu umupha umoya kungelakulinganiswa.For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

35UYise uyayithanda iNdodana njalo useyiphe amandla phezu kwezinto zonke.The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.

36Loba ngubani obeke ithemba lakhe eNdodaneni ulokuphila okungapheliyo, kodwa loba ngubani oyilahlayo iNdodana kazukuyibona leyompilo ngoba ulaka lukaNkulunkulu lohlala luphezu kwakhe.Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

John 3

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John 3

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