Jesu na Nikodemo
1 Kwakabe kuna nlume we Nfarasi edang'wa Nikodemo, ali ntungamili we Bajuta. 2 Nikodemo wakazha kuna Jesu busiku kati kunli, “N'diyi, toziba kuti u n'diyi wakadwa ku Ndzimu, ngobe akuna ungathama zwilakidzo zwaunothama ha Ndzimu usimile naye.”
3 Jesu kanshandula eti, “Ndolebesa tjose nditi ku kuli, kuzhe kwe kuti nthu azwagwe butshwa, aangabone bushe gwe Ndzimu.”
4 Nikodemo kabhuzwa kati, “Nthu wakwegula ungazwagwa tjini? Apa ungangina gwe bubili mu ntumbu wa mmeyabe kuti azwagwe?”
5 Jesu kanshandula eti, “Ndolebesa tjose nditi ku kuli, kuzhe kwe kuti nthu azwagwe nge vula nenge meya, aangangine mu bushe gwe Ndzimu. 6 Tjazwagwa nge nyama i nyama, tjazwagwa nge Meya i meya. 7 Usitjename, ngobe ndikudwa nditi wakafanila kuti uzwagwe butshwa. 8 Phepo inohwuhwudzila kwainoda, unohwa nsindo wayo, koga autoziba kwainodwa kene kwainoyenda. Kwakajalobo mu mmwe ne mmwe wazwagwa nge Meya.”
9 Nikodemo kambhuzwa eti, “Kungashingikala tjini ikoku?”
10 Jesu kambhuzwa kati, “Apa u n'diyi mu Iziraela koga autoziba ikoku kene? 11 Ndolebesa tjose nditi ku kuli, iswi toleba ngekwe tjatinoziba kakale tobika ngekwe tjatakabona, koga amutoamutjila tjatinobika. 12 Apa ha ndakamubudza nge zwithu zwe shango mukasidume, mowoduma tjini ha ndimubudza ngekwe zwe kudzimu wali? 13 Koga akuna wakatongo tathilila kudzimu kuzhe kwa iye wakadeluka edwa kudzimu, iye Nkololo we nthu.”
14 Koga Mushe sekwa akamilidza nyoka mu tjilambanyika ne Nkololo we nthu wakafanila kumilidzigwabo pezhugwi, 15 kuti kene ali ani unogalamoyo munli abe ne butjilo gusingapele. 16 Ngoti Ndzimu wakada shango ino kungapongapo kwawakapa Nkololo wawo uyega kuti kene ali ani unogalamoyo munli asitongofa, koga abe ne butjilo gusingapele. 17 Ngoti Ndzimu auzotuma Nkololo wawo mu shango kuwoyisumikilisa, koga wakantuma kuti shango itjidziwe ndiye.
18 Iye unogalamoyo munli aazosumikilisiwa, koga iye usingagalemoyo wakasumikilisiwa kale, ngobe aazogalamoyo mu zina le Nkololo uyega we Ndzimu. 19 Kusumikilisiwa ndihwoku, tjedza tjakazha mu shango, koga bathu bakada zhalima mu bumo gwe tjedza, ngobe mishingo yabo ili mibi. 20 Mmwe ne mmwe unothama bubi nge unobenga tjedza, kakale aatozha mu tjedza, ngobe mishingo iye ingabhudila patjena. 21 Koga iye unoshinga malebeswa unozha mu tjedza kuti ndizo kuboneke kuti mishingo iye yakashingigwa mu Ndzimu.
Jesu na Johani
22 Shule kwa ikoko, Jesu ne badiyiwa babe bakabhudila mu shango ye Judiya, kwaakapitsha tjibaka nabo edubika bathu. 23 Johani na iyebo wakabe edubika mu Enoni, pejo ne Salima, ngobe kwakabe kuna vula njinji ikoko. Bathu bakabe bezha kunli, ngono bedubikiwa. 24 Johani wakabe asathu kalongwa mu ng'umba ye busungwa mu tjibaka itjetjo.
25 Ipapo kukabe ne kunyanyayidzana pakati kwe badiyiwa ba Johani ne mmwe Njuta ngekwe tjenapadzo. 26 Ngono bakazha kuna Johani bakati, “N'diyi, nlume ihwouje wamakabe munaye seli kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani wamakaleba nge kukwe, wodubikabo ngwenu, ngono mmwe ne mmwe woyenda kunli.”
27 Johani kabashandula eti, “Akuna ungabe ne tjimwe kuzhe kwe tjaapiwa tjidwa kudzimu. 28 Imwi nge kwenyu muna butendeki gwe kuti ndakati, ‘Andite ndili imi Mesiya, koga ndakatumwa kuzha mu shango mbeli kukwe.’ 29 Una nlongo nkwasha, nzwalani we nkwasha unobe ali mile ipapo akahwilila unoshatha kwazo ha ehwa hwi le nkwasha. Ndizo kushatha kwangu kwazhadzisika. 30 Iye wakafanila kudziwa, imi ayisiwa pasi.”
Iye unodwa kudzimu
31 Iye unodwa pezhugwi upezhugwi kwa bose. Iye unodwa mu shango nge we shango unoleba nge zwe shango, koga iye unodwa kudzimu upezhugwi kwabo bose. 32 Unotendeka ngekwe tjaakabona nenge tjaakahwa, koga akuna unoamutjila butendeki gugwe. 33 Iye unoamutjila butendeki gugwe unolakidza kuti Ndzimu ulebeswa. 34 Iye wakatumwa nge Ndzimu unoleba matama e Ndzimu, ngobe Ndzimu unompa Meya nge buzhalo. 35 Tate banoda Nkololo wabo, ndizo bakampa zwithu zose. 36 Iye unogalamoyo mu Nkololo una butjilo gusingapele, koga iye usingahwilile Nkololo aatowobe ne butjilo, koga bushongola gwe Ndzimu gupezhugwi kukwe.
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.