(Genesis 22:1–10; Romans 5:6–11)
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And there was a man of the Pharisees, his name Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
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this one came to Him by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we have known that You have come from God—a teacher, for no one is able to do these signs that You do, if God may not be with him.”
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Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone may not be born from above, he is not able to see the Kingdom of God”;
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Nicodemus says to Him, “How is a man able to be born, being old? Is he able to enter into the womb of his mother a second time, and to be born?”
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Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone may not be born of water and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the Kingdom of God;
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that which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.
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You may not wonder that I said to you, It is required for you to be born from above;
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the Spirit blows where [that] One wills, and you hear [that] One’s voice, but you have not known from where [that] One comes, and to where [that] One goes; thus is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”
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Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How are these things able to happen?”
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Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not know these things?
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Truly, truly, I say to you, what We have known We speak, and what We have seen We testify, and you do not receive Our testimony;
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if I spoke to you of the earthly things, and you do not believe, how, if I will speak to you of the heavenly things, will you believe?
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And no one has gone up to Heaven, except He who came down out of Heaven—the Son of Man who is in Heaven.
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And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up,
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that everyone who is believing in Him may not perish, but may have continuous life,
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for God so loved the world that He gave the only begotten Son, that everyone who is believing in Him may not perish, but may have continuous life.
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For God did not send His Son into the world that He may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through Him;
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he who is believing in Him is not judged, but he who is not believing has been judged already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God.
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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 evil;
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for everyone who is doing wicked things hates the light, and does not come into the light, that his works may not be detected;
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but he who is doing the truth comes into the light, that his works may be revealed, that in God they are having been worked.”
John’s Testimony about Jesus
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After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He tarried with them, and was immersing;
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and John was also immersing in Aenon, near to Salem, because there were many waters there, and they were coming and were being immersed—
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for John was not yet cast into the prison—
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there arose then a question from the disciples of John with [some] Jews about purifying,
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and they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you testified, behold, this One is immersing, and all are coming to Him.”
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John answered and said, “A man is not able to receive anything if it may not have been given him from Heaven;
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you yourselves testify to me that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am having been sent before Him;
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He who is having the bride is bridegroom, and the friend of the bridegroom, who is standing and hearing Him, rejoices with joy because of the voice of the bridegroom; this, then, my joy has been fulfilled.
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It is necessary [for] Him to increase, and me to become less;
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He who is coming from above is above all; he who is from the earth, from the earth he is, and from the earth he speaks; He who is coming from Heaven is above all.
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And what He has seen and heard—this He testifies, and none receives His testimony;
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he who is receiving His testimony sealed that God is true;
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for He whom God sent, He speaks the sayings of God; for God does not give the Spirit by measure;
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the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand;
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he who is believing in the Son has continuous life; and he who is not believing the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
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