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The New Birth

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named ^(C1)Nicodemus, a ^(C2)ruler of the Jews;² this man came to ^(F1)Jesus at night and said to Him, "^(C1)Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these ^(F2)(C2)signs that You do unless ^(C3)God is with him."³ Jesus responded and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone ^(C1)is born ^(F1)again he cannot see ^(C2)the kingdom of God."

⁴ Nicodemus ^(*)said to Him, "How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb a second time and be born, can he?"⁵ Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of ^(C1)water and the Spirit, he cannot enter ^(C2)the kingdom of God.⁶ "^(C1)That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.⁷ "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born ^(F1)again.'⁸ "^(C1)The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit."

⁹ Nicodemus responded and said to Him, "How can these things be?"¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, "You are ^(C1)the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?¹¹ "Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(C1)we speak of what we know and ^(C2)testify of what we have seen, and ^(C2)you people do not accept our testimony.¹² "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?¹³ "^(C1)No one has ascended into heaven, except ^(C2)He who descended from heaven: ^(C3)the Son of Man.¹⁴ "And just as ^(C1)Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must ^(C2)the Son of Man ^(C3)be lifted up,¹⁵ so that everyone who ^(F1)believes will ^(C1)have eternal life in Him.

¹⁶ "For God so ^(C1)loved the world, that He ^(C2)gave His ^(C3)only Son, so that everyone who ^(C4)believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.¹⁷ "For God ^(C1)did not send the Son into the world ^(C2)to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.¹⁸ "^(C1)The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of ^(C2)the only Son of God.¹⁹ "And this is the judgment, that ^(C1)the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for ^(C2)their deeds were evil.²⁰ "^(C1)For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.²¹ "But the one who ^(C1)practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed ^(F1)as having been performed in God."

John the Baptist's Last Testimony

²² After these things Jesus and His ^(C1)disciples came into the land of Judea; and there He was spending time with them and ^(C2)baptizing.²³ Now John also was baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there; and people were coming and being baptized—²⁴ for ^(C1)John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵ Then a matter of dispute developed on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about ^(F1)(C1)purification.²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, "^(C1)Rabbi, He who was with you ^(C2)beyond the Jordan, to whom you ^(C3)have testified—behold, He is baptizing and all the people are coming to Him."²⁷ John replied, "^(C1)A person can receive not even one thing unless it ^(C2)has been given to him from heaven.²⁸ "You yourselves ^(F1)are my witnesses that I said, '^(C1)I am not the ^(F2)Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'²⁹ "He who has the bride is ^(C1)the groom; but the friend of the groom, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the groom's voice. So this ^(C2)joy of mine has been made full.³⁰ "He must ^(F1)increase, but I must ^(F2)decrease.

³¹ "^(C1)He who comes from above is above all; ^(C2)the one who is only from the earth is of the earth and speaks of the earth. ^(C1)He who comes from heaven is above all.³² "What He has seen and heard, of this He ^(C1)testifies; and ^(C1)no one accepts His testimony.³³ "The one who has accepted His testimony ^(C1)has certified that God is true.³⁴ "For He whom God ^(C1)sent speaks the words of God; ^(C2)for He does not give the Spirit ^(F1)sparingly.³⁵ "^(C1)The Father loves the Son and ^(C2)has entrusted all things to His hand.³⁶ "The one who ^(C1)believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who ^(C2)does not ^(F1)obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."