Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He 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.”
3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.3:3 The Greek for again also means from above; also in verse 7.”
4“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit3:6 Or but spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You3:7 The Greek is plural. must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”3:8 The Greek for Spirit is the same as that for wind.
9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.3:13 Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,3:14 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted. 15that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”3:15 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.
16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John Testifies Again About Jesus
22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less.”3:30 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 36.
31The 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. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God3:34 Greek he gives the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
Nikodemo Kɔ Yesu Nkyɛn
1Anadwo bi, ɔbarima bi a ɔyɛ Yudafoɔ mpanin no mu baako a wɔfrɛ no Nikodemo a ɔsane yɛ Farisini no, 2kɔɔ Yesu nkyɛn, kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ɔkyerɛkyerɛfoɔ, yɛnim sɛ Onyankopɔn na ɔsomaa wo, ɛfiri sɛ, obiara ntumi nyɛ nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ a woyɛ yi gye sɛ Onyankopɔn ka ne ho.”
3Yesu buaa no sɛ, “Merema woate aseɛ sɛ, sɛ wɔanwo wo foforɔ a, worentumi nkɔ Onyankopɔn Ahennie no mu.”
4Nikodemo bisaa no sɛ, “Ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na me abasiriwa yi, bɛtumi akɔ me maame yam ama wɔawo me bio?”
5Yesu nso buaa no sɛ, “Mereka nokorɛ akyerɛ wo, sɛ wɔamfiri nsuo ne Honhom mu anwo obi a, ɔrentumi nkɔ Onyankopɔn Ahennie no mu. 6Deɛ wɔfiri onipa mu awo no no, yɛ ɔhonam, na deɛ wɔfiri Honhom mu awo no no, yɛ honhom. 7Mma ɛnnyɛ wo nwanwa sɛ maka sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔwo wo foforɔ! 8Sɛdeɛ wote mframa nka, nanso wontumi nkyerɛ faako a ɛfiri ba ne faako a ɛbɔ kɔ no, saa ara na Honhom mu awoɔ no nso te.”
9Nikodemo bisaa no sɛ, “Ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na yei aba mu?”
10Yesu buaa no sɛ, “Wo, ɔkyerɛkyerɛfoɔ a wodi mu Israel na wonte yei ase? 11Deɛ yɛnim ne deɛ yɛahunu na yɛreka akyerɛ mo yi, nanso monnye yɛn nni. 12Sɛ meka asase yi so nsɛm kyerɛ mo na monnye nni a, ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na sɛ meka ɔsoro nsɛm kyerɛ mo a, mobɛgye adi? 13Obiara nkɔɔ ɔsoro da, agye deɛ ɔfiri ɔsoro baeɛ no—Onipa Ba no. 14Sɛdeɛ Mose maa ɔwɔ sɛso a wɔde kɔbere ayɛ asɛn dua so wɔ ɛserɛ so no, saa ara na Onipa Ba no nso wɔbɛma no so, 15na obiara a ɔgye me di no, ɔbɛnya nkwa a ɛnni awieeɛ.
16“Na sɛdeɛ Onyankopɔn dɔɔ ewiase nie; sɛ ɔde ne Ba a ɔwoo no korɔ no maeɛ, na obiara a ɔgye no di no anyera, na mmom wanya nkwa a ɛnni awieeɛ. 17Onyankopɔn ansoma ne Ba amma ewiase sɛ ɔmmɛbu ewiase atɛn, na mmom, ɔsomaa no sɛ, ɔmmɛgye ewiase nkwa. 18Obiara a ɔgye ɔba no di no, wɔremmu no atɛn; na deɛ ɔnnye no nni no, wɔabu no atɛn dada, ɛfiri sɛ, wannye Onyankopɔn Ba korɔ no anni. 19Deɛ Onyankopɔn gyina so bu atɛn ne sɛ: Hann no aba ewiase, nanso nnipa ani gye sum ho sene Hann no, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔn nneyɛeɛ nyinaa yɛ bɔne. 20Ɔdebɔneyɛfoɔ biara mpɛ Hann no, na ɔremmɛn Hann no, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔsuro sɛ ne nneyɛeɛ bɔne no bɛda adi. 21Na deɛ ɔyɛ Onyame apɛdeɛ no ba Hann no mu na obiara ahunu sɛ ɔyɛ Onyame apɛdeɛ.”
Yohane Di Yesu Ho Adanseɛ
22Yei akyi, Yesu ne nʼasuafoɔ no firii Yerusalem kɔɔ Yudea akuraa bi ase kɔtenaa hɔ kakra bɔɔ asu wɔ hɔ. 23Saa ɛberɛ no ara na Yohane nso rebɔ asu wɔ Ainon a ɛbɛn Salim, ɛfiri sɛ, na nsuwansuwa wɔ hɔ. Nnipa pii baa ne nkyɛn ma ɔbɔɔ wɔn asu. 24Saa ɛberɛ no na wɔmfaa Yohane ntoo afiase. 25Ɛda bi, Yohane akyidifoɔ bi ne Yudani bi gyee akyinnyeɛ faa ahodwira ho. 26Enti, asuafoɔ no kɔɔ Yohane nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ɔkyerɛkyerɛfoɔ, ɔbarima bi a na ɔwɔ wo nkyɛn wɔ Yordan fa nohoa no a wodii ne ho adanseɛ no nso rebɔ asu na nnipa pii rekɔ ne nkyɛn.”
27Yohane buaa sɛ, “Obi rentumi nni dwuma a ɛte saa gye sɛ Onyame ka ne ho. 28Mo ara modi me adanseɛ sɛ meka kyerɛɛ mo sɛ, ‘Ɛnyɛ me ne Kristo no, na mmom, wɔasoma me adi nʼanim kane.’ 29Adamfo a ɔboa ayeforɔkunu no wɛn nʼaso twɛn no, na sɛ ɔte ne nne a, nʼani gye. Ɛno enti na mʼanigyeɛ wie pɛyɛ no. 30Ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ ɔkɛseɛ na me nso meyɛ ɔketewa.
31“Deɛ ɔfiri ɔsoro aba no yɛ ɔkɛseɛ sene obiara; Deɛ ɔfiri asase so no yɛ wiaseni na ɔkasa sɛ wiaseni. 32Ɔsoroni no ka deɛ wahunu ne deɛ wate, nanso obiara nnye no nni. 33Wɔn a wɔgye no di no di adanseɛ sɛ, Onyankopɔn yɛ ɔnokwafoɔ. 34Deɛ Onyankopɔn asoma no no ka Onyankopɔn asɛm, ɛfiri sɛ, Onyankopɔn de ne Honhom ahyɛ no ma. 35Agya no dɔ ne Ba no enti ɔde biribiara so tumi ahyɛ ne nsa. 36Deɛ ɔgye Ɔba no di no bɛnya nkwa a ɛnsa da, na deɛ ɔnnye no nni no rennya nkwa a ɛnsa da, na mmom, Onyankopɔn asotwe da ne so.”
