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there was a man of the Pharisees name Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one can perform these miraculous signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, unless a person is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man to born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, unless a person 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 you, ‘You must be born again’. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can these things be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “Are you a teacher of Israel,” Jesus said, “and yet you do not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, We speak of what We know, and testify to what We have seen, yet you people still do not receive Our testimony. 12 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 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19 “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come to the light, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought through God.”
22 After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, and He spent some time there with them and baptised. 23 John also was baptising at Aenon near Salem, because water was plentiful there. People were constantly coming and being baptised, 24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 A dispute arose between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of purification. 26 So they went to John and told him, “Rabbi, the Man you testified about and who was with you on the other side of the Jordan is baptising, and everyone is going to Him.”
27 John answered, “A man can only receive what has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of Him’. 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by listening for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 “The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony. 33 The person who has accepted His testimony has affirmed that God is true. 34 For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things into His hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever does not believe in the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”