Jesus and Nicodemus
1 There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. 2 One night he went to Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles, unless God were with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God's kingdom!”
4 Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”
5 Jesus answered:
I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. 6 Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God. 7 Don't be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. 8 Only God's Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied:
How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11 I tell you for certain we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. 12 If you don't believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?
13 No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14 And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as the metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert. 15 Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.
16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! 18 No one who has faith in God's Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn't have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God's only Son.
19 The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. 20 People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done. 21 But everyone who lives by the truth will come to the light, because they want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do.
Jesus and John the Baptist
22 Later, Jesus and his disciples went to Judea, where he stayed with them for a while and was baptizing people.
23-24 John had not yet been put in jail. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was a lot of water, and people were coming there for John to baptize them.
25 John's followers got into an argument with a Jewish man about a ceremony of washing. 26 They went to John and said, “Rabbi, you spoke about a man when you were with him east of the Jordan. He is now baptizing people, and everyone is going to him.”
27 John replied:
No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it. 28 You surely remember how I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him.
29 At a wedding the groom is the one who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the groom's voice. That's why I am so glad. 30 Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.
The One Who Comes from Heaven
31 God's Son comes from heaven and is above all others. Everyone who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all others. 32 He speaks about what he has seen and heard, and yet no one believes him. 33 But everyone who does believe him has shown that God is truthful. 34 The Son was sent to speak God's message, and he has been given the full power of God's Spirit.
35 The Father loves the Son and has given him everything. 36 Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life. But no one who rejects him will ever share in that life, and God will be angry with them forever.
Jesus na Nikodemus
1 Pa ri omunane Omujuda wena Nikodemus, ngwa ri owotjira tjOvafarisei. 2 Ouṱuku umwe eye we ere ku Jesus na tja: “Rabi, matu tjiwa kutja oove omuhonge ngu wa hindwa i Ndjambi. Kape nomundu ngu ma sora okutjita ovihimise mbi u tjita, Ndjambi tje he ri puna ye.”
3 Jesus arire tja ziri a tja: “Tjiri, tjiri, ami me ku raere ouatjiri, omundu tje hi nokukwatwa rukwao, kamaa sora okumuna ouhona wa Ndjambi.”
4 Nikodemus a pura a tja: “Omundu ngwa kurupa ma sora vi okukwatwa rukwao? Indu eye ma sora okuyaruka mezumo raina na pandukwa rukwao porutjavari are?”
5 Jesus wa zirire a tja: “Tjiri, tjiri, ami me ku raere ouatjiri, omundu tje hi nokukwatwa momeva na mOmbepo, kamaa sora okuhita mouhona wa Ndjambi. 6 Ihi tji tja kwatwa momundu otjo omundu, nu tji tja kwatwa mOmbepo otjo ombepo. 7 Okumwa, tji me ku raere kutja eṋe amuhe mamu sokukwatwa rukwao. 8 Ombepo i hinga ku mai vanga. Ove mo zuu ombosiro yayo, nungwari ko nokutjiwa kutja mai zu pi nu mai i pi. Otjinga ape ri nao wina na ngamwa auhe ngu ma kwatwa mOmbepo.”
9 Nikodemus wa purire a tja: “Oviṋa mbi mavi sora okutjitwa vi?”
10 Jesus arire tja ziri a tja: “Oove omuhonge omutjiukwa mOisrael, noviṋa mbi ko vi i are? 11 Tjiri, tjiri, ami me ku raere ouatjiri, eṱe tu hungira imbi mbi matu tjiwa, nu tu hongonona imbi mbi twa munu, nungwari eṋe kamu vanga okuyakura omahongononeno wetu. 12 Ami tji mbe mu serekarerere oviṋa vyouye mbwi, eṋe kamaamu kambura mu ami, nu mamu kambura vi mu ami tji mbe mu serekarerere imbi ovyeyuru? 13 Kape nomundu ngwa rorere okuronda keyuru posi yOmuna wOmundu. Eye porwe ongwa zire keyuru.”
14 “Nu Moses otja punga a turikire onyoka yongoporo kotjihenḓe mokuti onguza, Omuna wOmundu wina opunga ama turikwa nao, 15 kokutja auhe ngu ma kambura mu ye a kare nomuinyo waaruhe. 16 Orondu Ndjambi wa suverere ouye tjinene nai nga tja yandja Omuna we omukwatwa erike, kokutja auhe ngu ma kambura mu ye a ha pandjara, nungwari a kare nomuinyo waaruhe. 17 Ndjambi ka hindire Omuna we kouye okuyekuupangura, nungwari we mu hindira kutja ouye u yamwe i ye.
18 “Ingwi ngwa kambura mOmuna ke nokupangurwa, nungwari ingwi ngu hi nokukambura, eye wa pangurwa rukuru, tjinga e ha kamburire mOmuna wa Ndjambi omukwatwa erike. 19 Nombanguriro ya Ndjambi i ri nai: Eye wa hinda Ondjerera ye mouye, nungwari imba ovandu ave suvere onḓorera okukapita Ondjerera, ozondjito zawo tjinga aze ri zouvi. 20 Omundu auhe ngu tjita ouvi wa tonda ondjerera, nu kemee ya kondjerera, tjinga e ha vanga kutja ozondjito ze zouvi ze horoke. 21 Nungwari auhe ngu tjita ouatjiri, eye meya kondjerera, kokutja ondjerera i raise kutja ozondjito ze za tjitwa monḓuviro ku Ndjambi.”
Jesus na Johanes
22 Kombunda yoviṋa mbi, Jesus novahongewa ve va ire korukondwa rwa Judea, neye wa kakara ngo puna wo na papitisa ovandu. 23 Johanes wina aa papitisire mOenon, popezu na Salim, tjinga apa ri omeva omengi. Ovandu aave ya ku ye, neye e ve papitisa. 24 Oviṋa mbi vya tjitwa, Johanes ngunda e hiya yumbwa motjovakamburwa.
25 Ovahongewa tjiva va Johanes nOmujuda umwe va uta okupatasanena otjiṋa tjomerikohororero. 26 Owo opu va ira ku Johanes ave katja nai: “Muhonge, ove mo tjiwa omundu ngwi ngwa ri puna ove munda mbwina na Jordan, ingwi ngu wa hongonona are? Tara, eye nambano ma papitisa wina, novandu avehe mave i ku ye!”
27 Johanes wa zirire a tja: “Omundu kamaa kara notjiṋa tjinangara eye ke tji perwe i Ndjambi. 28 Eṋe oveni oweṋe ovahongonone vandje indu tji mba tja: ‘Ami hiwami Omutwirisiwa, nungwari mba hindwa komurungu we.’ 29 Omuvareke onguri omuini womuvarekwa, nungwari epanga romuvareke nda kurama mbo amari puratene, oro mari nyanda omutima tjinene tji ra zuu eraka romuvareke. Ami opu mba zu okukara nondjoroka onene tjinene. 30 Onḓengu ye ngai kure, nu indji oyandje i yaruke kehi.”
31 Ingwi ngu ma zire kombanda, eye omunene pu avehe. Nu ngu ma zu mouye, eye owouye nu u hungira ovyouye. Nungwari ingwi ngu ma zu keyuru, eye u ri kombanda yaavehe. 32 Eye u serekarera ihi tja munu nu tja zuu, nungwari kape na ngu yakura ombuze ye. 33 Nu ngu ma yakura ombuze ye, okutja nao wa zikamisa kutja Ndjambi omunauatjiri. 34 Ingwi ngwa hindwa i Ndjambi u hungira omambo wa Ndjambi, Ndjambi tjinga ame mu pe Ombepo ye okuura. 35 Ihe wa suvera Omuna we, notja yandja avihe momake we. 36 Auhe ngwa kambura mOmuna, u nomuinyo waaruhe; nu auhe ngu hi nonḓuviro kOmuna, kamaa munu omuinyo, nungwari omberero ya Ndjambi mai kara kombanda ye.
