1 And there was a man of the Pharisees, Naḵdimon was his name, a ruler of the Yehuḏim.
2 This one came to יהושע by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from Elohim, for no one is able to do these signs You do if Elohim is not with him.”
3 יהושע answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he is unable to see the reign of Elohim.”
4 Naḵdimon said to Him, “How is a man able to be born when he is old? Is he able to enter into his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5 יהושע answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he is unable to enter into the reign of Elohim.
6 “That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You have to be born from above.’
8 “The Spirit breathes where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”
9 Naḵdimon answered and said to Him, “How is it possible for this to take place?”
10 יהושע answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Yisra’ĕl, and do not know this?
11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak what We know and witness what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
12 “If you do not believe when I spoke to you about earthly matters, how are you going to believe when I speak to you about the heavenly matters?
13 “And no one has gone up into the heaven except He who came down from the heaven – the Son of Aḏam.
14 “And as Mosheh lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of Aḏam has to be lifted up,
15 so that whoever is believing in Him should not perish but possess everlasting life.
16 “For Elohim so loved the world that He gave His only brought-forth Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but possess everlasting life.
17 “For Elohim did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not judged, but he who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only brought-forth Son of Elohim.
19 “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were wicked.
20 “For everyone who is practising evil matters hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
21 “But the one doing the truth comes to the light, so that his works are clearly seen, that they have been wrought in Elohim.”
22 After this, יהושע and His taught ones came into the land of Yehuḏah, and He remained there with them, and was immersing.
23 And Yoḥanan was also immersing in Ayin near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. And they were coming and were being immersed,
24 for Yoḥanan had not yet been put into prison.
25 Then a dispute arose between some of Yoḥanan’s taught ones and the Yehuḏim about cleansing,
26 and they came to Yoḥanan and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Yardĕn, to whom you have witnessed, see, He is immersing, and all are coming to Him!”
27 Yoḥanan answered and said, “No man is able to receive any matter unless it is given to him from the heaven.
28 “You yourselves are witnesses for me that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but I am sent ahead of Him.’
29 “He that has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. So this joy of mine is complete.
30 “It is right for Him to increase, but me to decrease.
31 “He who comes from above is over all, he who is from the earth is of the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from the heaven is over all.
32 “And what He has seen and heard, that He witnesses. And no one receives His witness.
33 “He who receives His witness has set his seal that Elohim is true.
34 “For He whom Elohim has sent speaks the Words of Elohim, for Elohim does not give the Spirit by measure.
35 “The Father loves the Son, and has given all into His hand.
36 “He who believes in the Son possesses everlasting life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim remains on him.”