約 翰 福 音 3
Chinese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version
耶稣与尼哥底母
3 有个法利赛人，名叫尼哥底母，他是犹太人的一位首领。 2 夜里，他来见耶稣，说∶“拉比（老师），我们知道您是来自上帝的老师，因为假如上帝不与您同在，没人能行您行的神迹。”
3 耶稣回答道∶“我实话告诉你，如果一个人不重生，就不能在上帝的王国占有一席之地。”
4 尼哥底母说∶“一个人老了，怎么能重生呢？他自然不可能第二次投胎再生了！”
5 耶稣回答说∶“我实话告诉你，如果一个人不从水和灵中出生，他就不能进入上帝的王国； 6 从肉体出生的是肉体；从灵出生的是灵。 7 所以，当我告诉你∶‘你们必须重生’时，你不必感到奇怪。 8 风任随它意吹拂，你可以听到风声，却不知它从哪儿来，到哪儿去。由圣灵所生的人也是如此。”
9 尼哥底母问∶“怎么会是这样的呢？”
10 耶稣回答说∶“你是以色列人的老师，难道你也不明白吗？ 11 我实话告诉你，我们说的是我们知道的，我们讲的是我们所见的，但是你们却不接受我们的证言。 12 我告诉你们尘世上的事情，你们不相信，那么，如果我告诉你们天上的事情，你们又怎么能相信呢？ 13 除了从天降临的那位－人子之外，没有人升过天。
14 正如摩西在旷野里举起蛇一样，人子也必照样被举起， 15 目的是让所有信仰他的人得到永生。”
16 因为，上帝非常爱世人，他甚至献出了自己唯一的儿子，以便使每一个信仰他（儿子）的人不会灭亡，而获永生。 17 上帝派他的儿子到世上来，不是为了给世人定罪，而是要通过他使世人得到拯救。 18 凡是信仰他的人，都不会被定罪，不信仰他的人已被定罪，因为他们不信仰上帝唯一的儿子。 19 定罪的事实是：光明已来到这个世界，可是人们却情愿要黑暗，而不要光明，因为他们做的事是邪恶的。 20 凡是干坏事的人都憎恨光明。他不到光明里来，免得他的劣迹被暴露。 21 但是，那些遵循真理的人到光明里来，光明使他们通过上帝做过的工作显示的清清楚楚。 [a]
耶稣与施洗者约翰
22 此后，耶稣和门徒们来到犹太地区，他在那里和他们共度时光，为人们施洗礼。 23 约翰在撒冷附近的哀嫩也为人们施洗礼，因为那里水很多。人们不断地来到约翰那里，接受洗礼， 24 （那时，约翰还没有被关进监狱。）
25 当时，约翰的门徒和一个犹太人针对洁净仪式一事发生了争论， 26 他们来到约翰那里，对他说∶“拉比（老师），从前在约旦河对岸和您在一起的那个人，也就是您为他作证的那个人，现在正给人们施洗礼呢，人们都纷纷到他那里去了。”
27 约翰回答说∶“除非上天所赐，否则，人不会领受到任何事情。 28 你们自己可以证明我说过∶‘我不是基督，我只不过是在他之前被派来的。’ 29 和新娘结婚的是新郎，但是，新郎的傧相等在那里，倾听新郎的动静。他一听见新郎的的声音，就非常高兴。我现在充满了快乐， 30 他必须变得越来越伟大，我必须变得越来越渺小。”
来自天上的那位
31 “来自天上的他高于一切，来自尘世的属于尘世，他所说的一切也都来自尘世。但是来自天堂的他高于一切。
32 他证明了自己的所见所闻，但是，却没有人愿意接受他的见证。 33 接受基督见证的人证明了上帝是真实的。 34 因为上帝派来的他（耶稣），说上帝说的话。上帝赐给他的灵 [b]是无限的。 35 父爱他的儿子，把一切都交到了他的手中。 36 信仰圣子的人得以永生，不服从圣子的人将看不到永生，相反，上帝的愤怒会始终伴随着他。
Footnotes
- 約 翰 福 音 3:21 一些学者认为十六至二十一节是耶稣说的话，而有些学者却认为是约翰写的。
- 約 翰 福 音 3:34 灵： 圣灵。
John 3
The Voice
3 Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees, a man with some clout among his people. 2 He came to Jesus under the cloak of darkness to question Him.
Nicodemus: Teacher, some of us have been talking. You are obviously a teacher who has come from God. The signs You are doing are proof that God is with You.
At this time, Israel’s Roman occupiers have given a small group of Sadducees and Pharisees limited powers to rule, and Nicodemus is one of the Pharisees. He holds a seat on the ruling council known as the Sanhedrin, and surprisingly Nicodemus is among those who seek Jesus for His teaching. It appears that he believes more about Jesus than he wants others to know, so he comes at night.
Jesus: 3 I tell you the truth: only someone who experiences birth for a second time[a] can hope to see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus: 4 I am a grown man. How can someone be born again when he is old like me? Am I to crawl back into my mother’s womb for a second birth? That’s impossible!
Jesus: 5 I tell you the truth, if someone does not experience water and Spirit birth, there’s no chance he will make it into God’s kingdom. 6 Like from like. Whatever is born from flesh is flesh; whatever is born from Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t be shocked by My words, but I tell you the truth. Even you, an educated and respected man among your people, must be reborn by the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. 8 The wind[b] blows all around us as if it has a will of its own; we feel and hear it, but we do not understand where it has come from or where it will end up. Life in the Spirit is as if it were the wind of God.
Nicodemus: 9 I still do not understand how this can be.
Jesus: 10 Your responsibility is to instruct Israel in matters of faith, but you do not comprehend the necessity of life in the Spirit? 11 I tell you the truth: we speak about the things we know, and we give evidence about the things we have seen, and you choose to reject the truth of our witness. 12 If you do not believe when I talk to you about ordinary, earthly realities, then heavenly realities will certainly elude you. 13 No one has ever journeyed to heaven above except the One who has come down from heaven—the Son of Man, who is of heaven. 14 Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. In the same way, the Son of Man must be lifted up; 15 then all those who believe in Him will experience everlasting life.
16 For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. 17 Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.
18 No one who believes in Him has to fear condemnation, yet condemnation is already the reality for everyone who refuses to believe because they reject the name of the only Son of God. 19 Why does God allow for judgment and condemnation? Because the Light, sent from God, pierced through the world’s darkness to expose ill motives, hatred, gossip, greed, violence, and the like. Still some people preferred the darkness over the light because their actions were dark. 20 Some of humankind hated the light. They scampered hurriedly back into the darkness where vices thrive and wickedness flourishes. 21 Those who abandon deceit and embrace what is true, they will enter into the light where it will be clear that all their deeds come from God.
Jesus makes the point clear: stay connected to Him, and have no reason to fear. Jesus doesn’t mean that at the instant someone has faith, fear simply vanishes or only good things happen in that person’s life. In fact, the blessings that come with eternal life often have nothing to do with present or future circumstances, but they have everything to do with the individual’s connections to God and others. That is John’s message to his listeners. God came to earth embodied in flesh, and then He reached His greatest acclaim through a torturous death. If this is all true, then believers will find strength and beauty in places never imagined. Abiding in Jesus the Anointed is the good life, regardless of the external circumstances.
22 Not long after, Jesus and His disciples traveled to the Judean countryside where they could enjoy one another’s company and ritually cleanse new followers through baptism.[c] 23-24 About the same time, Jesus’ cousin John—the wandering prophet who had not yet been imprisoned—was upriver at Aenon near Salim baptizing scores of people in the abundant waters there. 25 John’s activities raised questions about the nature of purification among his followers and a religious leader, 26 so they approached him with their questions.
John’s Followers: Teacher, the One who was with you earlier on the other side of the Jordan, the One whom you have been pointing to, is baptizing[d] the multitudes who are coming to Him.
John the Baptist: 27 Apart from the gifts that come from heaven, no one can receive anything at all. 28 I have said it many times, and you have heard me—I am not the Anointed One; I am the one who comes before Him. 29 If you are confused, consider this: the groom is the one with the bride. The best man takes his place close by and listens for him. When he hears the voice of the groom, he is swept up in the joy of the moment. So hear me. My joy could not be more complete. 30 He, the groom, must take center stage; and I, the best man, must step to His side.
31 If someone comes from heaven above, he ranks above it all and speaks of heavenly things. If someone comes from earth, he speaks of earthly things. The One from the heavens is superior; He is over all. 32 He reveals the mysteries seen and realities heard of the heavens above, but no one below is listening. 33 Those who are listening and accept His witness to these truths have gone on record. They acknowledge the fact that God is true! 34 The One sent from God speaks with the very words of God and abounds with the very Spirit and essence of God. 35 The Father loves the Son and withholds nothing from Him. 36 Those who believe in the Son will bask in eternal life, but those who disobey the Son will never experience life. They will know only God’s lingering wrath.
Copyright © 2004 by World Bible Translation Center
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.