Das Leben Jesu
Jesus and Nicodemus
The Pharisee Nicodemus visits Jesus at night. Jesus explains that one must be born again of water and the Spirit to see the kingdom of God, and speaks about God's love for the world and eternal life through faith.
Johannes 3,1-21
1There was a man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
Ἦν δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων, Νικόδημος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, ἄρχων τῶν Ἰουδαίων·
2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, for no one can do the signs you do unless God is with him."
οὗτος ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτὸς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ῥαββί, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐλήλυθας διδάσκαλος· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ⸂δύναται ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα⸃ ποιεῖν ἃ σὺ ποιεῖς, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ ὁ θεὸς μετʼ αὐτοῦ.
3Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I tell you: unless someone is born from above,[^1] he cannot see the kingdom of God."
[^1]: The Greek word can mean both "from above" and "again"; Nicodemus hears it in the second sense in the next verse.
⸀ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.
4Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?"
λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ⸀ὁ Νικόδημος· Πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος γεννηθῆναι γέρων ὤν; μὴ δύναται εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ δεύτερον εἰσελθεῖν καὶ γεννηθῆναι;
5Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I tell you: unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
⸀ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.
6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς σάρξ ἐστιν, καὶ τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστιν.
7Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.'
μὴ θαυμάσῃς ὅτι εἶπόν σοι Δεῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν.
8The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλʼ οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει· οὕτως ἐστὶν πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος.
9Nicodemus answered him, "How can this be?"
ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι;
10Jesus answered him, "You are the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand this?
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Σὺ εἶ ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ταῦτα οὐ γινώσκεις;
11Truly, truly, I tell you: we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not accept our testimony.
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι ὅτι ὃ οἴδαμεν λαλοῦμεν καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμεν μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἡμῶν οὐ λαμβάνετε.
12If you do not believe me when I speak of earthly things, how will you believe when I speak of heavenly things?
εἰ τὰ ἐπίγεια εἶπον ὑμῖν καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς ἐὰν εἴπω ὑμῖν τὰ ἐπουράνια πιστεύσετε;
13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man.
καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ⸀ἀνθρώπου.
14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
καὶ καθὼς Μωϋσῆς ὕψωσεν τὸν ὄφιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὕτως ὑψωθῆναι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου,
15so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ⸂ἐν αὐτῷ⸃ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
16For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον ὥστε τὸν ⸀υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλὰ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.
οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ⸀υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλʼ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος διʼ αὐτοῦ.
18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of God's only Son.
ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται· ὁ ⸀δὲ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται, ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ.
19And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.
αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις ὅτι τὸ φῶς ἐλήλυθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον καὶ ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς, ἦν γὰρ ⸂αὐτῶν πονηρὰ⸃ τὰ ἔργα.
20For everyone who does wrong hates the light and will not come to the light, so that his deeds may not be exposed.
πᾶς γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ·
21But whoever lives by the truth comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been done in God."
ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα φανερωθῇ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα ὅτι ἐν θεῷ ἐστιν εἰργασμένα.