₁There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. ₂One 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.”

₃Jesus 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. “No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ₆A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit. ₇Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again. ₈The 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.

₁₀Jesus answered, “You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don't know this? ₁₁I 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. ₁₂You 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? ₁₃And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven.”

₁₄As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, ₁₅so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. ₁₆For 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. ₁₇For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its saviour.