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.
Yeesu niŋ Nikodemus
1 Kee doo le sotota Farisewolu* la kafoo kono. A too mu Nikodemus le ti, Yahuudoolu la ñaatonkoo doo le mu. 2 A naata Yeesu yaa suutoo. A ko a ye ko, “Karammoo, ŋà a loŋ ne ko, karandirilaa le mu ite ti, meŋ bota naŋ Alla yaa. Kaatu moo-wo-moo te ñiŋ taamanseeroolu ke noo la, ite ka mennu ke, fo Alla be meŋ fee.”
3 Yeesu ye a jaabi ko, “Tooñaa-tooñaa, m be a fo la i ye, fo niŋ moo wuluuta kotenke, niŋ wo nte a te Alla la mansabaayaa je noo la.” 4 Wo to le Nikodemus ko a ye ko, “Moo meŋ keebaayaata, wo be wuluu noo la ñaadii le? A si muru noo a baamaa wuluuñaŋo kono baŋ, a ye wuluu kotenke?” 5 Yeesu ye a jaabi ko, “Tooñaa-tooñaa, m be a fo la i ye, fo niŋ moo wuluuta ka bo jiyo niŋ Nooroo la, niŋ wo nte, a te duŋ noo la Alla la mansabaayaa kono. 6 Meŋ wuluuta balajaatoo la, wo mu balajaatoo le ti, aduŋ meŋ wuluuta Nooroo la, wo mu nooroo le ti. 7 Kana jaakali, kaatu n ko i ye le ko, ‘Ali ñanta wuluu la le kotenke.’ 8 Foñoo ka fee le, a lafita ka taa daameŋ. I ka a kumakaŋo moyi le, bari i maŋ a loŋ, a ka bo naŋ daameŋ waraŋ a ka taa daameŋ. A be moo-wo-moo ye wo ñaa kiliŋo le ñaama, meŋ wuluuta ka bo niŋ Nooroo la.”
9 Nikodemus ye a ñininkaa ko, “Ñiŋ kuwolu si ke noo ñaadii le?” 10 Yeesu ye a jaabi ko, “Ite mu Banisirayilankoolu la karammoo le ti, i maŋ ñiŋ kuwolu loŋ? 11 Tooñaa-tooñaa, m be a fo la i ye, ntolu ye meŋ loŋ, ǹ ka wo le fo. Aduŋ ŋà meŋ je, ǹ ka wo le seedeyaa. Bari ali maŋ ǹ na seedeyaa muta. 12 Niŋ ŋa duniyaa kuwolu fo ali ye, ali buka laa n na. Wo to ali be laa noo la nte la ñaadii le, niŋ ŋa Arijana kuwolu fo ali ye?
13 “Moo nene maŋ taa Arijana kono, fo kiliŋ, meŋ jiita ka bo Arijana kono, meŋ mu Moo Dinkewo* ti. 14 Aduŋ ko Musa ye saa wulindi santo nuŋ ñaameŋ keñewuloo* kono, Moo Dinkewo be wulindi la santo wo ñaa kiliŋo le la, 15 fo moolu bee mennu laata a la, ì si badaa-badaa baluwo soto.”
16 Alla ye duniyaa kanu baake le, fo a ye a Dinkee kiliŋo dii, fo moo-wo-moo meŋ laata a la, a te kasaara la, bari a si badaa-badaa baluwo soto. 17 Kaatu Alla maŋ a Dinkewo kii ñiŋ duniyaa kono ka duniyaa kiitindi, bari ka bo niŋ ate la duniyaa si kiisa. 18 Moo meŋ laata a la, wo buka kiitindi. Bari moo meŋ maŋ laa a la, wo kiitindita le fokabaŋ, kaatu a maŋ laa Alla Dinkee kiliŋo too le la. 19 Aduŋ ñiŋ ne mu kiitiyo ti ko, maloo naata duniyaa kono le, bari moolu ye diboo le kanu ka tambi maloo la, kaatu ì la kebaaroolu jawuyaata le. 20 Kaatu moo-wo-moo meŋ ka kuu kuruŋo ke, wo ka maloo koŋ ne. A buka naa maloo to, fo a la kebaaroolu kana waañaari. 21 Bari moo, meŋ ka kuu tilindiŋo ke, wo le ka naa maloo to, fo a la kebaaroolu si je faramansarinke ko, Alla la lafoo le mu.
Yeesu niŋ Yaayaa Batiseerilaa
22 Ñiŋ kuwolu koolaa, Yeesu niŋ a la saayiboolu taata Yudeya tundoo kaŋ. A niŋ ì sabatita jee fo waati dantaŋ, aduŋ a ye batiseeroo* ke. 23 Yaayaa fanaa be nuŋ batiseeroo la Enoni le Salimu maafaŋo la, kaatu jii jamaa le be jee. Moolu naata jee ka batisee. 24 Wo waatoo la, ì maŋ Yaayaa soroŋ bunjawoo kono foloo.
25 Bituŋ ñoo soosoo naata wuli Yaayaa la saayiboolu niŋ Yahuudi kiliŋ teema seneyandiroo la kuwo to. 26 Ì taata Yaayaa kaŋ, ì ko a ye ko, “N karammoo, wo kewo meŋ tarata nuŋ i fee Yoridani Boloŋo kara doo la, i ye meŋ na kuwo seedeyaa, a hayinaŋ, a ka batiseeroo ke. Aduŋ moolu bee ka taa ate le yaa.”
27 Wo to le Yaayaa ye ì jaabi ko, “Moo te feŋ soto noo la, fo niŋ Alla ye a dii a la. 28 Alitolu faŋolu si a seedeyaa noo le ko, nte ko le, ‘M maŋ ke Alimasiihu* ti, bari nte kiita a ñaato le, janniŋ ate be naa la.’ 29 Moo meŋ ye maañoo soto, wo le mu maañootiyo ti. Maañootiyo teerimaa ka loo le, a ye a lamoyi, aduŋ a ka jusulaa baake le, niŋ a ye maañootiyo kaŋo moyi. Ñiŋ ne mu nte la seewoo ti, meŋ timmata saayiŋ. 30 Ate la kuwo ñanta kafu la le, nte taa ye talaa.”
Alla le ye Yeesu kii naŋ
31 Moo meŋ bota naŋ santo, wo le be moolu bee ye santo la. Moo meŋ bota ñiŋ duniyaa kono, wo mu duniyaa le taa ti, aduŋ a ka duniyaa kuwolu le fo. Bari moo meŋ bota Arijana kono, wo le be moolu bee ye santo. 32 A ye meŋ je, aniŋ a ye meŋ moyi, a ka wo le seedeyaa, bari moolu maŋ soŋ a la seedeyaa la. 33 Bari meŋ laata a la seedeyaa la, wo maarii keta seedoo le ti ko, Alla mu tooñaatiyo le ti. 34 Alla ye moo meŋ kii, wo ka Alla la kumoolu le fo, kaatu Alla ka a la Nooroo dii le, diiroo meŋ maŋ dandulaa soto.
35 Faamaa ye a Dinkewo kanu le, aduŋ a ye feŋo bee duŋ ate le bulu. 36 Moo meŋ laata Dinkewo la, wo ye badaa-badaa baluwo le soto. Bari moo meŋ maŋ Dinkewo la yaamaroo muta, wo te badaa-badaa baluwo je la, bari Alla la kamfaa baa le be tu la a kaŋ.
