Joh 3 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now there was a man of the Pharisees , named Nicodemus , a ruler of the Jews ;

John 3

The New Birth

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named ^aNicodemus, a ^bruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to ^{▼▼Lit Him}Jesus at night and said to Him, “ ^dRabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these ^{▼▼I.e., confirming miracles
,} ^fsigns that You do unless ^gGod is with him.” 3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone ^his born ^{▼▼Or from above}again he cannot see ^jthe 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 ^kwater and the Spirit, he cannot enter ^lthe kingdom of God. 6 ^mThat 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 ^{▼▼Or from above}again.’ 8 ^oThe 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 ^pthe teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, ^qwe speak of what we know and ^rtestify of what we have seen, and ^syou 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 ^tNo one has ascended into heaven, except ^uHe who descended from heaven: ^vthe Son of Man. 14 And just as ^wMoses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must ^xthe Son of Man ^ybe lifted up, 15 so that everyone who ^{▼▼Or believes in Him will have eternal life}believes will ^aahave eternal life in Him.

16 “For God so ^abloved the world, that He ^acgave His ^adonly Son, so that everyone who ^aebelieves in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God ^afdid not send the Son into the world ^agto judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. 18 ^ahThe 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 ^aithe only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that ^ajthe Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for ^aktheir deeds were evil. 20 ^alFor 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 ^ampractices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed ^{▼▼Lit that they have been}as having been performed in God.”

John the Baptist’s Last Testimony

22 After these things Jesus and His ^aodisciples came into the land of Judea; and there He was spending time with them and ^apbaptizing. 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 ^aqJohn 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 ^{▼▼I.e., ceremonial washing
,} ^aspurification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “ ^atRabbi, He who was with you ^aubeyond the Jordan, to whom you ^avhave testified --behold, He is baptizing and all the people are coming to Him.” 27 John replied, “ ^awA person can receive not even one thing unless it ^axhas been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves ^{▼▼Lit testify for me}are my witnesses that I said, ‘ ^azI am not the ^{▼▼I.e., Messiah}Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is ^bbthe groom; but the friend of the groom, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the groom’s voice. So this ^bcjoy of mine has been made full. 30 He must ^{▼▼Or become greater}increase, but I must ^{▼▼Or become less important}decrease.

31 “ ^bfHe who comes from above is above all; ^bgthe one who is only from the earth is of the earth and speaks of the earth. ^bhHe who comes from heaven is above all. 32 What He has seen and heard, of this He ^bitestifies; and ^bjno one accepts His testimony. 33 The one who has accepted His testimony ^bkhas certified that God is true. 34 For He whom God ^blsent speaks the words of God; ^bmfor He does not give the Spirit ^{▼▼Lit from measure}sparingly. 35 ^boThe Father loves the Son and ^bphas entrusted all things to His hand. 36 The one who ^bqbelieves in the Son has eternal life; but the one who ^brdoes not ^{▼▼I.e., in belief}obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”