John 3 - Amplified Bible(AMP)

The New Birth

1Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (member of the Sanhedrin) among the Jews,

2who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again,he cannot see and experience the kingdom of God.”

4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”

5Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again.’

8The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be possible?”

10Jesus replied, “You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not know nor understand these things?

11I assure you and most solemnly say to you, we speak only of what we know and testify about what we have seen; and you do not accept our testimony.

12If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe and trust Me if I tell you heavenly things?

13No one has gone up into heaven, but there is One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man.

14Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved and dearly prized the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

17For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

18Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him is not judged; but the one who does not believe is judged already, because

he has not believed and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19This is the judgment: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the

darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

20For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his activities will be exposed and condemned.

21But whoever practices truth comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God.”

John’s Last Testimony

22After these things Jesus and His disciples went into the land of Judea, and there He spent time with them and baptized.

23Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there; and people were coming and were being baptized—

24for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25Therefore there arose a controversy between John’s disciples and a Jew in regard to purification (ceremonial washing).

26So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi (Teacher), the Man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—and to whom you have testified—look, He is baptizing too, and everyone is going to Him!”

27John replied, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been granted to him from heaven.

28You yourselves are my witnesses that I stated, ‘I am not the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’

29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this pleasure and joy of mine is now complete.

30He must increase, but I must decrease.

31“He who comes from above is above all others; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

32What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and yet no one accepts His testimony.

33Whoever receives His testimony has set his seal to this: God is true.

34For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure!

35The Father loves the Son and has given and entrusted all things into His hand.

36He who believes and trusts in the Son and accepts Him has eternal life; but he who does not believe the Son and chooses to reject Him, will not see life, but the wrath of God hangs over him continually.”