(合用 可用 隨便用)

譯本是參照 AFV (A Faithful Version) 2009

1. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus by name, a ruler of the Jews.
2. He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher Who has come from God; because no one is able to do the miracles that You are doing unless God is with him.”
3. Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man who is old be born? Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless anyone has been born of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh; and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.
7. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘It is necessary for you to be born again.
8. The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its sound, but you do not know the place from which it comes and the place to which it goes; so also is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”
9. Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10. Jesus answered and said to him, “You are a teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things?
11. Truly, truly I say to you, We speak that which We know, and We testify of that which We have seen; but you do not receive Our testimony.
12. If I have told you earthly things, and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13. (And no one has ascended into heaven, except He Who came down from heaven, even the Son of man, Who is in heaven.)
14. And even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, in the same way it is ordained that the Son of man be lifted up,
15. So that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life.
16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life.
17. For God sent not His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18. The one who believes in Him is not judged, but the one who does not believe has already been judged because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19. And this is the judgment: that the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
20. For everyone who practices evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, so that his works may not be exposed;
21. But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be manifested, that they have been accomplished by the power of God.” (A Faithful Version)

1. 有一個法利賽人，名叫尼哥底母，負責管理猶太人。

2. 他夜裡來到耶穌那裡，對他說：「拉比，知道你是從神那裡來作師傅的。因為若沒有神同在，無人能行這些奇事。

3. 耶穌回答：我實在告訴你，若不重生，就不能見神的國。

4. 尼哥底母說：人已老，如何能重生？難道要再進母腹，重覆生產這過程？

5. 耶穌回說：我實在告訴你，人若不是從水和聖靈生的，就不能進神的國。

6. 從肉體生的，就是肉體；從靈生的，就是靈。

7. 聽到這話，不要以為希奇，人是必須重生。

8. 風隨己意而飄，可以聽到風聲，就是不知是從何而來又會往何處而去。若從聖靈生的，也是如此。

9. 尼哥底母好奇地問：這情況是如何誕生？

10. 耶穌回說：你是教導以色列人的，豈會不明白？

11. 我實實在在地告訴你，我們對話的內容，是各自都明白，所見證的，是我們見過的。但你卻不接受我所說的。

12. 我對你說的，是曾經在地發生過的，尚且不信，若說天上的事，你如何能信？

13. 沒有人升過天，除了一位，是從天降下，就是人子，本是屬於天。

14. 或說摩西，曾在曠野舉蛇，以同樣的方式，人子也同樣被舉起來，

15. 叫一切信他的，不致滅亡，反得永生。

16. 神愛世人，甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信他的，不至滅亡，反得永生。

17. 神差他的兒子降世，不是要審判世人，乃是要叫世人因他得救。

18. 信他的人，不被審判；不信的人，裁決已定，因為他不信神獨生子的名。

19. 裁決的理由是：光既來到世間，世人卻愛黑，表明在他們的惡行上。

20. 作惡就是討厭光，不願來就光，為的是不讓惡行暴露出來。

21. 行真理的，就是在光中，他們的行為光明正大，靠的是神的大能。

如果按上文下理，這段是繼耶穌對猶太人當中的祭司，從耶路撒冷來觀察，這祭司也屬法利賽，是理性喜歡依條文辦事，問施行水禮的權柄。(按第1:19-28章的出場記述)

接著是二章描述耶穌要紏正人對聖殿的觀念時候，耶穌說的是實事，只是這些人，極有可能是屬法利賽的人，耶穌對他們的表示相信，認為並不是真正有悟道而悔改的心。

上述事件之後，必然會傳到當時的猶太人社群，當中就有一位作教導的尼哥底母，對耶穌所行的奇事(似乎更貼近尼哥底母的心態，況且當時沒有神蹟顯示)產生了興趣，也是有心尋智慧，來問耶穌。他是有知識和分辨力的，是有決斷知對錯的人，因為耶穌的言行是超乎一般人的水平，因此確定耶穌是位智者。

耶穌似乎了解這人要的是什麼，是故開聲就說神國的事。這也許是猶太人會關心的事，特別在他們歷代的遭遇，說是神的子民，卻不曾見過遇過，什麼是神的國，這對猶太人而言也許是人生最大的疑團。

猶太人在信仰問題上最大的障礙是：沒有悔改，就沒有重生。他們很早就離開了神，也堅持以人的方式生存，就是在黑暗還以為是光明。

耶穌的回應：因為神差他的兒子降世，不是要審判世人，乃是要叫世人因他得救(v.17)For God sent not His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.中文用罪這詞，那是判定了。這處似乎是有條件，在於相信或不信。就算不信，在行為上也有差異有輕有重，輕的按文明的律法是規則，重的叫刑事，這是一個重要的觀念：由悔改而重生

v.5-7 耶穌回說：我實在告訴你，人若不是從水和聖靈生的，就不能進神的國。從肉體生的，就是肉體；從靈生的，就是靈。聽到這話，不要以為希奇，人是必須重生。

這處談的是一種轉變，特別在指導人行為的思想上，當中的重點是要有：水和聖靈。水是人認知有神存在的表態，是外顯人人都看到，也表示自己的決心。聖靈，那是人看不到，自己確實的信念，知道心中既有的靈，現在與神的靈相通，是光與光的重遇。也許只有這樣，人才有轉變的可能。

約翰的了解比起保羅的了解，前者約翰是神學的始祖，後者保羅是應用神學的先鋒。都是從明白耶穌基督所說的話而來。

耶穌表達另一個觀念：降世救人。是如何去救？之前說的人要用心認清事實，有水和靈的印證。而神要做的事：是審判，更好的理解是審視。按v.179-19 神差他的兒子降世，不是要審判世人，乃是要叫世人因他得救。信他的人，不被審判；不信的人，裁決已定，因為他不信神獨生子的名。裁決的理由是：光既來到世間，世人卻愛黑，表明在他們的惡行上。看人能否自決去改變。這是文明尊重個人意志的表現，生死光明黑暗這等事，可以存在可以不存在，不再社會、國家、律法和制度，是在人，他是世界的中心，世界是因為他而存在。