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 naNikodemus
1 Gumwe gwomaafarisayi, edhina lye Nikodemus, oshilyo shomongundu yaapangeli Aajuda, 2 okwe ya kuJesus uusiku nokwa ti kuye: “Muhongi, otu shi shi, ongoye omulongi ngoka a tumwa kuKalunga, oshoka kaku na nando ogumwe ta vulu okulonga iikumithalonga mbyoka to longo, okuninga Kalunga e li pamwe naye.”
3 Jesus okwe mu yamukula nokwa ti: “Ngame otandi ku lombwele oshili: Omuntu ngele ita valululwa, ita vulu okumona Oshilongo shaKalunga.”
4 Nikodemus okwa ti kuye: “Omuntu ngele omukuluntu, ota vulu ngiini okuvalwa ishewe? Ita vulu ndishi okushuna moshivalelo shayina, a valwe olutiyali?”
5 Jesus okwe mu yamukula: “Ngame otandi ku lombwele oshili: Kape na omuntu ta vulu okuya mOshilongo shaKalunga, ngele ina valululwa momeya nomOmbepo. 6 Shoka sha valwa panyama, osho onyama, naashoka sha valwa pambepo, osho Ombepo. 7 Ino kumwa, sho nde ku lombwele kutya omu na okuvalululwa. 8 Ano ombepo ohayi pepe shaa mpoka ya hala. Oto uvu oshihomo shayo, ihe ku shi mpoka tayi zi naankoka yu uka. Osho naanaa shi li kukehe ngoka a valwa pambepo.”
9 Nikodemus okwe mu pula a ti: “Shika otashi vulika ngiini?”
10 Jesus okwa yamukula a ti: “Ngoye omulongi gwAaisraeli, ihe nani shika ku shi shi? 11 Otandi ku lombwele oshili. Tse otatu popi shoka tu shi shi notatu hokolola shoka twa mona, ihe ne inamu hala okutaamba ehokololo lyetu. 12 Ngele tandi mu lombwele iinima yokombanda yevi, ihe itamu itaale, otamu vulu ngiini okwiitaala, ngele tandi mu hokololele iinima yomegulu? 13 Kape na nando ogumwe a yile megulu kakele kOmuna gwOmuntu, ngoka a zi megulu.”
14 “Ngashika naanaa Moses a li a yelutha eyoka pombanda mombuga, osho wo Omuna gwOmuntu e na oku ka yeluthwa pombanda, 15 opo kehe ngoka te mu itaale, a kale e na omwenyo gwaaluhe. 16 Oshoka osho ngeyi Kalunga a kala e hole uuyuni, oye a gandja Omwana awike, opo shaa ngoka te mu itaale, kaa kane, ihe a kale e na omwenyo gwaaluhe. 17 Oshoka Kalunga ina tuma Omwana muuyuni, a pangule uuyuni, aawe, okwe mu tumu, opo uuyuni u hupithwe kuye.”
18 “Ngoka i itaala Omwana, ita pangulwa; ngoka ini itaala, okwa pangulwa nale, oshoka ini itaala Omuvalwa awike gwaKalunga. 19 Ihe epangulo oli li mpoka kutya uuyelele owe ya muuyuni, ihe aantu oye hole omilema shi vulithe pokuhola uuyelele, oshoka iilonga yawo iiwinayi. 20 Kehe ngoka ha longo uuwinayi, oku tonde uuyelele noite ya puuyelele, oshoka ina hala, iilonga ye iiwinayi yi holoke. 21 Ihe ngoka ta longo iilonga yu uka, ote ya puuyelele, opo uuyelele u holole kutya iilonga ye oya longwa omolwokuvulika kuKalunga.”
Jesus naJohannes Omushashi
22 Konima yaambika Jesus naalongwa ye oya yi kuJudea. Ye okwa kala ko omasiku gamwe pamwe nayo ta shasha aantu. 23 Johannes okwa li ta shasha puAinon, popepi naSalim, oshoka kokuma nkoka okwa li ku na omeya ogendji. Aantu oyendji oye ya kuJohannes, oye nokwe ya shasha, 24 oshoka Johannes okwa li ine edhililwa natango mondholongo.
25 Yamwe yomaalongwa yaJohannes oya tameke okuludhika nOmujuda gumwe kombinga yeyogo lyopaShijuda. 26 Yo oye ya kuJohannes noya ti kuye: “Muhongi, tala ko, omulumentu ngoka a li pamwe nangoye handiyaka yomulonga gwaJordan naangoka we mu hokolola, ota shasha, naantu ayehe otaa yi kuye.”
27 Johannes okwa yamukula a ti: “Kape na omuntu ta vulu okwiikuthila nando osha, okuninga Kalunga te shi mu pe. 28 One yene oonzapo dhandje, sho nda tile, ngame kandi shi Kristus, ihe onda tumwa oku mu tetekela. 29 Ngoka e na omufuko, oye ombushiki. Ihe kuume kombushiki ota thikama e ta pulakene nota nyanyukilwa ewi lyombushiki. Osho wo nenyanyu ndika lyandje olya gwanenena. 30 Oye e na okunenepala, ihe ngame ondi na okushonopala.”
Ngoka a za megulu
31 “Oongoka a za pombanda, oye omunene e vule ayehe. Ngoka gwopavi, ogwopavi nota popi iinima yopavi. Ngoka a za megulu, oye omunene e vule ayehe. 32 Oye ta hokolola shoka a mono nokwa uvu, ihe kape na nando ogumwe ta taamba ehokololo lye. 33 Oongoka ta taamba ehokololo lye, ota koleke nokutya Kalunga oye Kalunga kashili. 34 Ngoka a tumwa kuKalunga, oye ta popi oohapu dhaKalunga; oshoka Kalunga ite mu pe Ombepo ta yeleke, ihe ote mu pe sha gwana. 35 He oku hole Omwana nokwe mu pa iinima ayihe miikaha ye. 36 Oongoka i itaala Omwana, oku na omwenyo gwaaluhe, ihe ngoka itaa vulika kOmwana, ita ka mona omwenyo, ihe ondjahi yaKalunga otayi kala kombanda ye.”
