Open English Translation YHN (JHN) Chapter 3

3 After dark one evening, a Jewish leader named Nicodemus who was a member of the Pharisee party 2 went to Yeshua and said, “Teacher, we know that God has sent you as a teacher, because no one could do those kinds of miracles if God wasn’t with him.”

3 Yeshua responded, “I’ll tell you frankly that no one can get to see God’s kingdom unless he’s reborn.”

4 Nicodemus questioned, “How can an adult be reborn? A person can’t just return into their mother’s womb and then get born a second time!”

5 But Yeshua continued, “Honestly, I’m telling you: unless a person is born from both water and the spirit, they can’t enter God’s kingdom. 6 Someone that’s born from a body is flesh and bone, but someone that’s born from God’s spirit is spiritual. 7 So you shouldn’t be surprised that I told you that everyone needs to be reborn. 8 The wind blows wherever it wants, and you can hear its sound but you can’t actually see where it’s coming from or where it’s going to. So too with everyone who’s born from God’s spirit.”

9 Nicodemus replied, “How can all that even happen?”

10 “You’re a Jewish teacher,” Yeshua answered, “and yet you don’t know all that? 11 It’s true that we just teach what we know, and explain what we’ve seen ourselves, but you people aren’t accepting our testimony. 12 If I tell all of you earthly things and you don’t believe them, how will you ever believe if I explain heavenly things to you? 13 None of you have ever gone up into heaven, but I, humanity’s child, have come down from heaven.

14 [ref]“Just like Mosheh lifted up that bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, it’s also necessary for humanity’s child to be lifted up,[fn] 15 so that everyone who believes in him won’t die, but will live forever.[fn] 16 Because[fn] in that same way, God loves the people of the world enough to cause his only son to be born, and to give him to the world, so that everyone who believes that won’t die, but will go on to live forever.

17 “God didn’t send his son here to condemn people, but rather to save them. 18 Anyone who trusts in me won’t be condemned. However, anyone who doesn’t believe this has already been condemned because he rejected the authority of the only son that God fathered. 19 And this is the verdict: that light has come into the world, but some people love the darkness more than the light because they do evil things, 20 because everyone who does evil things hates the light and doesn’t come to the light so that their actions won’t be exposed. 21 But anyone who does what is right, comes toward the light so that their actions can be revealed as being done with God’s help.”

22 After this, Yeshua and his followers went down to Yudea, and stayed there and immersed some believers. 23 Yohan was also immersing people at Aenon near Salim because there was plenty of water there and people would come to him to get immersed. 24 [ref](At this point in time, Yohan had not yet been put in prison.) 25 Then a debate about purification started between Yohan’s followers and a religious leader.[fn] 26 So some people went to Yohan and said, “Teacher, that man that came to you across the river and that you testified about, now he’s immersing people and so they’re all going to him.”

27 “None of us get anything if it’s not being given from heaven,” Yohan answered. 28 [ref]“You yourselves know that I said that I’m not the messiah, but rather the one coming before him. 29 It’s the groom that has the bride—the best man is happy because he sees that the groom is happy. So I’m actually completely happy with all this. 30 It’s right and proper that he should increase and I should fade out.”

31 “The one who came down from heaven is greater than any of us. We came from this world and speak in our earthly ways. The one who came down from heaven is greater than any of us. 32 He explains about what he’s seen and heard, but people don’t believe him. 33 Anyone who does believe him, confirms that God is true. 34 The one that God sent tells us God’s words, because God doesn’t ration his spirit. 35 [ref]The father loves the son and has put him in charge of everything. 36 Anyone who believes God’s son will live forever, but anyone who disobeys the son won’t be seeing life, but will feel God’s severe anger instead.”