¹And there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus his name, a ruler of the Jews,

¹Kulikuwa na kiongozi mmoja Myahudi, wa kikundi cha Mafarisayo, jina lake Nikodemo.

²this one came unto him by night, and said to him, `Rabbi, we have known that from God thou hast come — a teacher, for no one these signs is able to do that thou dost, if God may not be with him.`

²Siku moja alimwendea Yesu usiku, akamwambia, "Rabi, tunajua kwamba wewe ni mwalimu uliyetumwa na Mungu, maana hakuna mtu awezaye kufanya ishara unazozifanya Mungu asipokuwa pamoja naye."

³Jesus answered and said to him, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;`

³Yesu akamwambia, "Kweli nakwambia, mtu asipozaliwa upya hataweza kuuona ufalme wa Mungu."

⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, `How is a man able to be born, being old? is he able into the womb of his mother a second time to enter, and to be born?`

⁴Nikodemo akamwuliza, "Mtu mzima awezaje kuzaliwa tena? Hawezi kuingia tumboni mwa mama yake na kuzaliwa mara ya pili!"

⁵Jesus answered, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God;

⁵Yesu akamjibu, "Kweli nakwambia, mtu asipozaliwa kwa maji na Roho, hawezi kamwe kuingia katika ufalme wa Mungu.

⁶that which hath been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which hath been born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁶Mtu huzaliwa kimwili kwa baba na mama, lakini huzaliwa kiroho kwa Roho.

⁷`Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above;

⁷Usistaajabu kwamba nimekwambia kuwa ni lazima kuzaliwa upya.

⁸the Spirit where he willeth doth blow, and his voice thou dost hear, but thou hast not known whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; thus is every one who hath been born of the Spirit.`

⁸Upepo huvuma kuelekea upendako; waisikia sauti yake, lakini hujui unakotoka wala unakokwenda. Ndivyo ilivyo kwa mtu aliyezaliwa kwa Roho."

⁹Nicodemus answered and said to him, `How are these things able to happen?`

⁹Nikodemo akamwuliza, "Mambo haya yanawezekanaje?"

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, `Thou art the teacher of Israel — and these things thou dost not know!

¹⁰Yesu akamjibu, "Je, wewe ni mwalimu katika Israel na huyajui mambo haya?

¹¹`Verily, verily, I say to thee — What we have known we speak, and what we have seen we testify, and our testimony ye do not receive;

¹¹Kweli nakwambia, sisi twasema tunayoyajua na kushuhudia tuliyoyaona, lakini ninyi hamkubali ujumbe wetu.

¹²if the earthly things I said to you, and ye do not believe, how, if I shall say to you the heavenly things, will ye believe?

¹²Ikiwa nimewaambieni mambo ya kidunia nanyi hamniamini, mtawezaje kuamini nikiwaambieni mambo ya mbinguni?

¹³and no one hath gone up to the heaven, except he who out of the heaven came down — the Son of Man who is in the heaven.

¹³Hakuna mtu aliyepata kwenda juu mbinguni isipokuwa Mwana wa Mtu ambaye ameshuka kutoka mbinguni.

¹⁴`And as Moses did lift up the serpent in the wilderness, so it behoveth the Son of Man to be lifted up,

¹⁴"Kama vile Mose alivyomwinua juu nyoka wa shaba kule jangwani, naye Mwana wa Mtu atainuliwa juu vivyo hivyo,

¹⁵that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during,

¹⁵ili kila anayemwamini awe na uzima wa milele.

¹⁶for God did so love the world, that His Son — the only begotten — He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.

¹⁶Maana Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu hivi hata akamtoa Mwana wake wa pekee, ili kila amwaminiye asipotee, bali awe na uzima wa milele.

¹⁷For God did not send His Son to the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him;

¹⁷Maana Mungu hakumtuma Mwanae ulimwenguni ili auhukumu ulimwengu, bali aukomboe ulimwengu.

¹⁸he who is believing in him is not judged, but he who is not believing hath been judged already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁸"Anayemwamini Mwana hahukumiwi; asiyemwamini amekwisha hukumiwa kwa sababu hakumwamini Mwana wa pekee wa Mungu.

¹⁹`And this is the judgment, that the light hath come to the world, and men did love the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil;

¹⁹Na hukumu yenyewe ndiyo hii: Mwanga umekuja ulimwenguni lakini watu wakapenda giza kuliko mwanga, kwani matendo yao ni maovu.

²⁰for every one who is doing wicked things hateth the light, and doth not come unto the light, that his works may not be detected;

²⁰Kila mtu atendaye maovu anauchukia mwanga, wala haji kwenye mwanga, maana hapendi matendo yake maovu yamulikwe.

²¹but he who is doing the truth doth come to the light, that his works may be manifested, that in God they are having been wrought.`

²¹Lakini mwenye kuuzingatia ukweli huja kwenye mwanga, ili matendo yake yaonekane yametendwa kwa kumtii Mungu."

²²After these things came Jesus and his disciples to the land of Judea, and there he did tarry with them, and was baptizing;

²²Baada ya hayo, Yesu alifika mkoani Yudea pamoja na wanafunzi wake. Alikaa huko pamoja nao kwa muda, akibatiza watu.

²³and John was also baptizing in Aenon, nigh to Salem, because there were many waters there, and they were coming and were being baptized —

²³Yohane pia alikuwa akibatiza watu huko Ainoni, karibu na Salemu, maana huko kulikuwa na maji mengi. Watu walimwendea, naye akawabatiza.

²⁴for John was not yet cast into the prison —

²⁴(Wakati huo Yohane alikuwa bado hajafungwa gerezani.)

²⁵there arose then a question from the disciples of John with [some] Jews about purifying,

²⁵Ubishi ulitokea kati ya baadhi ya wanafunzi wa Yohane na Myahudi mmoja kuhusu desturi za kutawadha.

²⁶and they came unto John, and said to him, `Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou didst testify, lo, this one is baptizing, and all are coming unto him.`

²⁶Basi, wanafunzi hao wakamwendea Yohane na kumwambia, "Mwalimu, yule mtu aliyekuwa pamoja nawe ng'ambo ya Yordani na ambaye wewe ulimshuhudia, sasa naye anabatiza, na watu wote wanamwendea."

²⁷John answered and said, `A man is not able to receive anything, if it may not have been given him from the heaven;

²⁷Yohane akawaambia, "Mtu hawezi kuwa na kitu asipopewa na Mungu.

²⁸ye yourselves do testify to me that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am having been sent before him;

²⁸Nanyi wenyewe mwaweza kushuhudia kuwa nilisema: Mimi siye Kristo, lakini nimetumwa ili nimtangulie!

²⁹he who is having the bride is bridegroom, and the friend of the bridegroom, who is standing and hearing him, with joy doth rejoice because of the voice of the bridegroom; this, then, my joy hath been fulfilled.

²⁹Bibiarusi ni wake bwanaarusi, lakini rafiki yake bwana arusi, anayesimama na kusikiliza, hufurahi sana anapomsikia bwana arusi akisema. Ndivyo furaha yangu ilivyokamilishwa.

³⁰`Him it behoveth to increase, and me to become less;

³⁰Ni lazima yeye azidi kuwa maarufu, na mimi nipungue.

³¹he who from above is coming is above all; he who is from the earth, from the earth he is, and from the earth he speaketh; he who from the heaven is coming is above all.

³¹"Anayekuja kutoka juu ni mkuu kuliko wote; atokaye duniani ni wa dunia, na huongea mambo ya kidunia. Lakini anayekuja kutoka mbinguni ni mkuu kuliko wote.

³²`And what he hath seen and heard this he doth testify, and his testimony none receiveth;

³²Yeye husema yale aliyoyaona na kuyasikia, lakini hakuna mtu anayekubali ujumbe wake.

³³he who is receiving his testimony did seal that God is true;

³³Lakini mtu yeyote anayekubali ujumbe wake anathibitisha kwamba Mungu ni kweli.

³⁴for he whom God sent, the sayings of God he speaketh; for not by measure doth God give the Spirit;

³⁴Yule aliyetumwa na Mungu husema maneno ya Mungu, maana Mungu humjalia mtu huyo Roho wake bila kipimo.

³⁵the Father doth love the Son, and all things hath given into his hand;

³⁵Baba anampenda Mwana na amemkabidhi vitu vyote.

³⁶he who is believing in the Son, hath life age-during; and he who is not believing the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God doth remain upon him.`

³⁶Anayemwamini Mwana anao uzima wa milele; asiyemtii Mwana hatakuwa na uzima wa milele, bali ghadhabu ya Mungu hubaki juu yake."