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

¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees named 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.

²The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

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

³Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, The word translated “anew” here and in John 3:7 (anothen) also means “again” and “from above”. he can’t see the Kingdom of God.”

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

⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

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

⁵Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God!

⁶Icho chakaberekwa nenyama inyama; nechakaberekwa neMweya, mweya.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Usashamisika kuti ndati kwauri: Zvakafanira kuti muberekwe kutsva.

⁷ Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’

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

⁸ The wind The same Greek word (pneuma) means wind, breath, and spirit. blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

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

⁹Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

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

¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things?

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

¹¹ Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness.

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

¹² If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

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

¹³ No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

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

¹⁴ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

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

¹⁵ that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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

¹⁷ For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

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

¹⁸ He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

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

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

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

²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.

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

²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

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

²²After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them, and baptized.

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

²³John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came, and were baptized.

²⁴Nekuti Johwani wakange asati akandwa mutirongo.

²⁴For John was not yet thrown into prison.

²⁵Zvino gakava rikamuka pakati pevadzidzi vaJohwani nevaJudha pamusoro pekuchenura.

²⁵There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John’s disciples with some Jews about purification.

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

²⁶They came to John, and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, the same baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”

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

²⁷John answered, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.

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

²⁸You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’

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

²⁹He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full.

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 is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

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

³²What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.

³³Unogamuchira uchapupu hwake unoisa mucherechedzo kuti Mwari ndewechokwadi.

³³He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, 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 the Spirit without measure.

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

³⁵The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.

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

³⁶One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys The same word can be translated “disobeys” or “disbelieves” in this context. the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”