¹Kwaiva nemunhu wekuvaFarisi, Nikodhimo riri zita rake, mutungamiriri wevaJudha.

¹But there was a man from among the Pharisees, his name Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

²Uyu wakauya kuna Jesu usiku, akati kwaari: Rabhi*, tinoziva kuti muri Mudzidzisi wakabva kuna Mwari; nekuti hakuna unogona kuita zviratidzo izvi zvamunoita imwi, kana Mwari asinaye.

²he came to him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from God, for none can do these signs that thou doest unless God be with him.

³Jesu akapindura ndokuti kwaari: Zvirokwazvo, zvirokwazvo, ndinoti kwauri: Kunze kwekuti munhu aberekwa kutsva, haagoni kuona ushe hwaMwari.

³Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except any one be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴Nikodhimo akati kwaari: Munhu unogona kuberekwa sei ava mukuru? Ungapinda rwechipiri mudumbu ramai vake agoberekwa here?

⁴Nicodemus says to him, How can a man be born being old? can he enter a second time into the womb of his mother and be born?

⁵Jesu akapindura akati: Zvirokwazvo, zvirokwazvo, ndinoti kwauri: Kana munhu asina kuberekwa nemvura neMweya, haagoni kupinda muushe hwaMwari.

⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except any one be born of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶Icho chakaberekwa nenyama inyama; nechakaberekwa neMweya, mweya.

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Usashamisika kuti ndati kwauri: Zvakafanira kuti muberekwe kutsva.

⁷Do not wonder that I said to thee, It is needful that *ye* should be born anew.

⁸Mhepo inovhuvhuta painoda, uye unonzwa inzwi rayo, asi hauzivi painobva nepainoenda; wakadaro wose wakaberekwa neMweya.

⁸The wind blows where it will, and thou hearest its voice, but knowest not whence it comes and where it goes: thus is every one that is born of the Spirit.

⁹Nikodhimo akapindura ndokuti kwaari: Zvinhu izvi zvinogona kuitika sei?

⁹Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?

¹⁰Jesu akapindura, ndokuti kwaari: Iwe uri mudzidzisi waIsraeri, asi haunzwisisi zvinhu izvi here?

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, Thou art the teacher of Israel and knowest not these things!

¹¹Zvirokwazvo, zvirokwazvo, ndinoti kwauri: Tinotaura zvatinoziva, tichipupura zvatakaona; asi hamugamuchiri uchapupu hwedu.

¹¹Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and we bear witness of that which we have seen, and ye receive not our witness.

¹²Kana ndakakuudzai zvinhu zvenyika uye mukasatenda, muchatenda sei kana ndichikuudzai zvinhu zvekudenga?

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

¹³Uye hakuna munhu wakakwira kudenga, kunze kwewakaburuka kudenga, Mwanakomana wemunhu uri kudenga.

¹³And no one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.

¹⁴Uye Mozisi sezvaakasimudza nyoka murenje, saizvozvowo Mwanakomana wemunhu unofanira kusimudzwa;

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus must the Son of man be lifted up,

¹⁵kuti ani nani unotenda maari arege kuparara asi ave neupenyu hwusingaperi.

¹⁵that every one who believes on him may [not perish, but] have life eternal.

¹⁶Nekuti Mwari wakada nyika zvakadai, kuti wakapa Mwanakomana wake wakaberekwa umwe woga, kuti ani nani unotenda kwaari arege kuparara, asi ave neupenyu hwusingaperi.

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal.

¹⁷Nekuti Mwari haana kutuma Mwanakomana wake munyika kuti ape nyika mhosva, asi kuti nyika iponeswe naye.

¹⁷For God has not sent his Son into the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him.

¹⁸Unotenda kwaari haapiwi mhosva; asi usingatendi watopiwa mhoswa, nekuti haana kutenda kuzita reMwanakomana waMwari wakaberekwa umwe woga.

¹⁸He that believes on him is not judged: but he that believes not has been already judged, because he has not believed on the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

¹⁹Uku ndiko kupiwa mhosva, kuti chiedza chakasvika panyika, asi vanhu vakada rima pane chiedza; nekuti mabasa avo akange akaipa.

¹⁹And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light; for their works were evil.

²⁰Nekuti umwe neumwe unoita zvakaipa unovenga chiedza, uye haauyi pachiedza, kuti mabasa ake arege kutsiurwa.

²⁰For every one that does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light that his works may not be shewn as they are;

²¹Asi unoita chokwadi unouya pachiedza, kuti mabasa ake aratidzwe, kuti akaitwa muna Mwari.

²¹but he that practises the truth comes to the light, that his works may be manifested that they have been wrought in God.

²²Shure kwezvinhu izvi wakauya Jesu nevadzidzi vake munyika yeJudhiya; zvino akagarako navo uye akabhabhatidza.

²²After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he abode with them and baptised.

²³NaJohwaniwo wakange achibhabhatidza muAinoni pedo neSarimi, nekuti paiva nemvura zhinji ipapo; uye vaiuyapo vachibhabhatidzwa.

²³And John also was baptising in Aenon, near Salim, because there was a great deal of water there; and they came to [him] and were baptised:

²⁴Nekuti Johwani wakange asati akandwa mutirongo.

²⁴for John was not yet cast into prison.

²⁵Zvino gakava rikamuka pakati pevadzidzi vaJohwani nevaJudha pamusoro pekuchenura.

²⁵There was therefore a reasoning of the disciples of John with a Jew about purification.

²⁶Zvino vakauya kuna Johwani vakati kwaari: Rabhi, uya waiva nemwi mhiri kwaJoridhani, wamaipupura nezvake, tarirai, iye unobhabhatidza, uye vanouya kwaari vose.

²⁶And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, he baptises, and all come to him.

²⁷Johwani akapindura ndoti: Munhu haagoni kugamuchira chinhu, kunze kwekuti achipiwa kubva kudenga.

²⁷John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it be given him out of heaven.

²⁸Imwi mumene munopupura nezvangu kuti ndakati: Handisi Kristu ini, asi kuti ndakatumwa mberi kwake.

²⁸Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him.

²⁹Uyo une mwenga muwani; asi shamwari yemuwani, imire ichimunzwa, inofara nemufaro nekuda kwenzwi remuwani. Naizvozvo mufaro wangu uyu wazadziswa.

²⁹He that has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices in heart because of the voice of the bridegroom: this my joy then is fulfilled.

³⁰Iye unofanira kukura, asi ini kudukupa.

³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹Unobva kumusoro uri pamusoro pezvose. Unobva panyika unobva panyika, uye unotaura achibva panyika; unobva kudenga uri pamusoro pezvose.

³¹He who comes from above is above all. He who has his origin in the earth is of the earth, and speaks [as] of the earth. He who comes out of heaven is above all,

³²Uye zvaakaona nezvaakanzwa, ndizvo zvaanopupura; asi hakuna munhu unogamuchira uchapupu hwake.

³²[and] what he has seen and has heard, this he testifies; and no one receives his testimony.

³³Unogamuchira uchapupu hwake unoisa mucherechedzo kuti Mwari ndewechokwadi.

³³He that has received his testimony has set to his seal that God is true;

³⁴Nekuti uyo Mwari waakatuma, unotaura mashoko aMwari; nekuti Mwari unopa Mweya kwete nechiyero.

³⁴for he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives not the Spirit by measure.

³⁵Baba vanoda Mwanakomana, uye vakapa zvinhu zvose muruoko rwake.

³⁵The Father loves the Son, and has given all things [to be] in his hand.

³⁶Iye unotenda kuMwanakomana une upenyu hwusingaperi; asi iye usingatendi Mwanakomana, haazooni upenyu, asi kutsamwa kwaMwari kunogara pamusoro pake.

³⁶He that believes on the Son has life eternal, and he that is not subject to the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.