Joh 3, Joh 20 | ESV | STEP | Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus , a ruler of the Jews .

John 3

You Must Be Born Again

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named ^aNicodemus, ^ba ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus ^{▼▼Greek him} ^dby night and said to him, ^e“Rabbi, ^fwe know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do ^gunless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is ^hborn ⁱagain ^{▼▼Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7} he cannot ^ksee the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born ^lof water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 ^mThat which is born of the flesh is ⁿflesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ^{▼▼The same Greek word means both wind and spirit} 7 ^pDo not marvel that I said to you, ‘You ^{▼▼The Greek for you is plural here} must be born ^ragain.’ 8 ^sThe wind ^{▼▼The same Greek word means both wind and spirit} blows ^uwhere it wishes, and you hear its sound, 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 Nicodemus said to him, ^v“How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel ^wand yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, ^xwe speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but ^yyou ^{▼▼The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12} do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 ^aaNo one has ^abascended into heaven except ^ache who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add who is in heaven} 14 And ^aeas Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man ^afbe lifted up, 15 that whoever believes ^agin him ^ahmay have eternal life. ^{▼▼Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15}

For God So Loved the World

16 “For ^ajGod so loved ^akthe world, ^{▼▼Or For this is how God loved the world} ^amthat he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not ^anperish but have eternal life. 17 For ^aoGod did not send his Son into the world ^apto condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 ^aqWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not ^arbelieved in the name of the only Son of God. 19 ^asAnd this is the judgment: ^atthe light has come into the world, and ^aupeople loved the darkness rather than the light because ^avtheir works were evil. 20 ^awFor everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, ^axlest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever ^aydoes what is true ^azcomes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and ^bawas baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for ^bbJohn had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over ^bcpurification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, ^bd“Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, ^beto whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and ^bfall are going to him.” 27 John answered, ^bg“A person cannot receive even one thing ^bhunless it is given him ^bifrom heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ^bj‘I am not the Christ, but ^bkI have been sent before him.’ 29 ^blThe one who has the bride is the bridegroom. ^bmThe friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, ^bnrejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 ^boHe must increase, but I must decrease.” ^{▼▼Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36}

31 ^bqHe who comes from above ^bris above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and ^bsspeaks in an earthly way. ^btHe who comes from heaven ^buis above all. 32 ^bvHe bears witness to what he has seen and heard, ^bwyet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony ^bxsets his seal to this, ^bythat God is true. 34 For he whom ^bzGod has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit ^cawithout measure. 35 ^cbThe Father loves the Son and ^cchas given all things into his hand. 36 ^cdWhoever believes in the Son has eternal life; ^cewhoever does not obey the Son shall not ^cfsee life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 20

The Resurrection

1 ^cgNow on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that ^chthe stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, ^cithe one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and ^cjwe do not know where they have laid him.” 3 ^ckSo Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw ^clthe linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and ^cmthe face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ ^{▼▼Greek his} head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, ^cowho had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet ^cpthey did not understand the Scripture, ^cqthat he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And ^crshe saw ^cstwo angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, ^ct“Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, ^cu“They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and ^cvsaw Jesus standing, ^cwbut she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, ^cx“Woman, why are you weeping? ^cyWhom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be ^czthe gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ^{▼▼Or Hebrew} ^db“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ^dcmy brothers and say to them, ^dd‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to ^demy God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene ^dfwent and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 ^dgOn the evening ^dhof that day, the first day of the week, ^dithe doors being locked where the disciples were ^djfor fear of the Jews, ^{▼▼Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time} Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ^dl“Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, ^dmhe showed them his hands and his side. Then ^dnthe disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As ^dothe Father has sent me, ^dpeven so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he ^dqbreathed on them and said to them, ^dr“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 ^dsIf you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now ^dtThomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, ^{▼▼Greek Didymus} was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, ^dv“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. ^dwAlthough the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ^dx“Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, ^dy“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, ^dz“My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? ^eaBlessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 ^ebNow Jesus did many other signs ^ecin the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 ^edbut these are written so that you may ^eebelieve that Jesus is the Christ, ^efthe Son of God, and that by believing ^egyou may have life ^ehin his name.