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 Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. 2 One night he went to Jesus and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him.”
3 Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”
4 “How can a grown man be born again?” Nicodemus asked. “He certainly cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time!”
5 “I am telling you the truth,” replied Jesus, “that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit. 7 Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again. 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” asked Nicodemus.
10 Jesus answered, “You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don't know this? 11 I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message. 12 You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven? 13 And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven.”
14 As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.
18 Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God's only Son. 19 This is how the judgment works: the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil. 20 Those who do evil things hate the light and will not come to the light, because they do not want their evil deeds to be shown up. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light in order that the light may show that what they did was in obedience to God.
Jesus and John
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the province of Judea, where he spent some time with them and baptized. 23 John also was baptizing in Aenon, not far from Salim, because there was plenty of water in that place. People were going to him, and he was baptizing them. ( 24 This was before John had been put in prison.)
25 Some of John's disciples began arguing with a Jew about the matter of ritual washing. 26 So they went to John and told him, “Teacher, you remember the man who was with you on the east side of the Jordan, the one you spoke about? Well, he is baptizing now, and everyone is going to him!”
27 John answered, “No one can have anything unless God gives it. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bridegroom is the one to whom the bride belongs; but the bridegroom's friend, who stands by and listens, is glad when he hears the bridegroom's voice. This is how my own happiness is made complete. 30 He must become more important while I become less important.”
He Who Comes from Heaven
31 He who comes from above is greater than all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly matters, but he who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He tells what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his message. 33 But whoever accepts his message confirms by this that God is truthful. 34 The one whom God has sent speaks God's words, because God gives him the fullness of his Spirit. 35 The Father loves his Son and has put everything in his power. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but will remain under God's punishment.