Conversation with Nicodemus

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that yoʋ are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that yoʋ are doing unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to yoʋ, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person be born when he is old? Can he enter the womb of his mother a second time and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to yoʋ, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to yoʋ, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes. Yoʋ hear the sound of it, but yoʋ do not know where it is coming from or where it is going; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 In response Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Yoʋ are the teacher of Israel, and yoʋ do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to yoʋ, we speak of what we know, and we testify about what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have spoken to you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I speak to you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven, except he who descended from heaven, the Son of [fn]Man, who is in heaven. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him should [fn]not perish but have eternal life.

16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send [fn]his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For whoever does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his works may not be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes to the light, so that it may be evident that his works have been done in God.”