Praise to God in His Holiness and Majesty

A Psalm of David.

Isaiah Called to Be a Prophet^(A)

6 In the year that ^(B)King Uzziah died, I ^(C)saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, ^(D)with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one cried to another and said:

⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

⁵ So I said:

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from ^(H)the altar. ⁷ And he ^(I)touched my mouth with it, and said:

⁸ Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Sonship Through the Spirit

^12 (A)Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For ^(B)if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you ^(C)put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For ^(D)as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For ^(E)you did not receive the spirit of bondage again ^(F)to fear, but you received the ^(G)Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ^(H)“Abba,^[a] Father.” ^16 (I)The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then ^(J)heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, ^(K)if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

The New Birth

3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ^2 (A)This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for ^(B)no one can do these signs that You do unless ^(C)God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(D)unless one is born ^[a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(E)unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is ^(F)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ^8 (G)The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said to Him, ^(H)“How can these things be?”

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? ^11 (I)Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and ^(J)you do not receive Our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ^13 (K)No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man ^[b]who is in heaven. ^14 (L)And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so ^(M)must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever ^(N)believes in Him should ^[c]not perish but ^(O)have eternal life. ^16 (P)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten ^(Q)Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ^17 (R)For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.