¹Ary nisy Fariseo anankiray atao hoe Nikodemosy, mpanapaka tamin'ny Jiosy.

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

²Izy nankao amin'i Jesosy nony alina ka nanao taminy hoe: Raby ô, fantatray fa mpampianatra avy amin'Andriamanitra Hianao; fa tsy misy olona mahay manao izao famantarana ataonao izao, raha tsy Andriamanitra no momba azy.

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.`

³Jesosy namaly ka nanao taminy hoe: Lazaiko aminao marina dia marina tokoa: Raha tsy ateraka indray ny olona, dia tsy mahazo mahita ny fanjakan'Andriamanitra. [Na: ateraka avy ambony]

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;`

⁴Hoy Nikodemosy taminy: Hataon'ny olona ahoana no hateraka rehefa lehibe; moa mahazo miditra any an-kibon-dreniny indray va izy ka hateraka?

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?`

⁵Jesosy namaly hoe: Lazaiko aminao marina dia marina tokoa: Raha misy olona tsy ateraky ny rano sy ny Fanahy, dia tsy mahazo miditra amin'ny fanjakan'Andriamanitra izy.

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;

⁶Izay ateraky ny nofo dia nofo; ary izay ateraky ny Fanahy dia fanahy.

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

⁷aza gaga noho ny nilazako taminao hoe: Tsy maintsy hateraka indray ianareo. [Na: hateraka avy any ambony]

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

⁸Ny rivotra mitsoka amin'izay tiany, ary renao ny feony, nefa tsy fantatrao izay ihaviany na izay alehany, dia tahaka izany izay rehetra ateraky ny Fanahy.

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.`

⁹Nikodemosy namaly ka nanao taminy hoe: Hatao ahoana no hahatonga izany zavatra izany?

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

¹⁰Jesosy namaly ka nanao taminy hoe: Hianao va no mpampianatra ny Isiraely ka tsy mahalala izany zavatra izany?

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

¹¹Lazaiko aminao marina dia marina tokoa: Izay fantatray no lazainay, ary izay hitanay no ambaranay; nefa ny fanambaranay tsy raisinareo.

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;

¹²Raha ny zavatra etỳ an-tany aza no nolazaiko taminareo ka tsy inoanareo, ahoana no hinoanareo, raha milaza aminareo ny zavatra any an-danitra Aho?

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?

¹³Ary tsy nisy niakatra ho any an-danitra, afa-tsy Ilay nidina avy tany an-danitra, dia ny Zanak'olona, Izay any an-danitra.

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.

¹⁴Ary tahaka ny nanandratan'i Mosesy ny menarana tany an-efitra no tsy maintsy hanandratana ny Zanak'olona,

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

¹⁵mba hanana fiainana mandrakizay izay rehetra mino Azy.

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

¹⁶Fa toy izao no nitiavan' Andriamanitra izao tontolo izao: nomeny ny Zanani-lahy Tokana, mba tsy ho very izay rehetra mino Azy, fa hanana fiainana mandrakizay.

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.

¹⁷Fa Andriamanitra tsy naniraka ny Zanaka ho amin'izao tontolo izao hanameloka izao tontolo izao, fa mba hamonjeny izao tontolo izao. [Gr. hitsara]

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;

¹⁸Izay mino Azy dia tsy helohina; fa izay tsy mino kosa dia efa voaheloka rahateo, satria tsy nino ny anaran'ny Zanaka-lahy Tokan'Andriamanitra izy. [Gr. tsaraina] [Gr. voatsara]

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.

¹⁹Ary izao no fanamelohana, fa tonga amin'izao tontolo izao ny mazava, nefa aleon'ny olona ny maizina toy izay ny mazava, satria ratsy ny asany. [Gr. voatsara]

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;

²⁰Fa izay rehetra manao ratsy dia mankahala ny mazava sady tsy manatona ny mazava, fandrao hita miharihary ny asany.

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;

²¹Fa izay manao ny marina kosa dia manatona ny mazava, mba haseho ny asany, fa atao amin'Andriamanitra izany.

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.`

²²Rehefa afaka izany, dia tonga tany amin'ny tany Jodia Jesosy sy ny mpianany; ary niara-nitoetra taminy tao Izy sady nanao batisa.

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

²³Ary Jaona koa nanao batisa tao Ainona, akaikin'i Saleima, satria nisy loharano maro tao; dia nankany ny olona ka nataony batisa.

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

²⁴Fa tsy mbola natao tao an-tranomaizina Jaona.

²⁴for John was not yet cast into the prison —

²⁵Ary nisy nifandiran'ny mpianatr'i Jaona tamin'ny Jiosy anankiray ny amin'ny fanadiovana;

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

²⁶ary tonga tany amin'i Jaona ny mpianany ka nanao taminy hoe: Raby ô, Ilay tany aminao, tany an-dafin'i Jordana, Izay nambaranao, indro, manao batisa Izy, ary ny olona rehetra manatona Azy.

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.`

²⁷Jaona namaly ka nanao hoe: Tsy misy olona mahay mandray na inona na inona, raha tsy nomena azy avy any an-danitra izany.

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

²⁸Hianareo no vavolombeloko fa hoy izaho: Tsy izaho no Kristy, fa nirahiny hialoha Azy aho.

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

²⁹Izay manana ny ampakarina no mpampakatra; fa ny sakaizan'ny mpampakatra, izay mitsangana sy mihaino azy, dia mifaly indrindra noho ny feon'ny mpampakatra; ary efa tanteraka izany fifaliako izany.

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.

³⁰Izy tsy maintsy mitombo, fa izaho kosa tsy maintsy mihena.

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

³¹Izay avy any ambony dia ambonin'izy rehetra; ary izay avy amin'ny tany dia avy amin'ny tany, ka ny momba ny etỳ an-tany ihany no lazainy; Izay avy any an-danitra dia ambonin'izy rehetra;

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.

³²koa izay hitany sy reny no ambarany; ary tsy misy mandray ny fanambarany.

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

³³Izay mandray ny fanambarany dia nanisy tombo-kase fa marina Andriamanitra.

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

³⁴Fa Izay nirahin'Andriamanitra dia milaza ny teniny; fa tsy misy fetra ny fanomezan'Andriamanitra ny Fanahy.

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

³⁵Ny Ray tia ny Zanaka ka efa nanolotra ny zavatra rehetra ho eo an-tànany.Izay mino ny Zanaka manana fiainana mandrakizay; fa izay tsy mino ny Zanaka dia tsy hahita fiainana, fa ny fahatezeran'Andriamanitra no mitoetra eo aminy.

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

³⁶Izay mino ny Zanaka manana fiainana mandrakizay; fa izay tsy mino ny Zanaka dia tsy hahita fiainana, fa ny fahatezeran'Andriamanitra no mitoetra eo aminy.

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.`