1 N a he tangata tera no nga Parihi, ko Nikorima tona ingoa, he rangatira no nga Hurai:

There was a man named Nicodemus. He was a proud religious law-keeper and a leader of the Jews.

2 K a haere mai tenei ki a Ihu i te po, ka mea ki a ia, E Rapi, e matau ana matou i haere mai koe i te Atua hei kaiwhakaako, ina hoki e kore tetahi tangata e ahei te mea i enei merekara e meatia nei e koe, ki te kahore te Atua i a ia.

He came to Jesus at night and said, “Teacher, we know You have come from God to teach us. No one can do these powerful works You do unless God is with Him.” Jesus Tells of the New Kind of Birth

3 K a whakahoki a Ihu, ka mea ki a ia, he pono, he pono, taku e mea nei ki a koe, Ki te kahore te tangata e whanau hou, e kore ia e ahei te kite i te rangatiratanga o te Atua.

Jesus said to him, “For sure, I tell you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the holy nation of God.”

4 K a mea a Nikorima ki a ia, Me pehea ka whanau ai te tangata i tona koroheketanga? e taea ranei te tuarua o nga haerenga ki roto ki te kopu o tona whaea, whanau mai ai?

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? How can he get into his mother’s body and be born the second time?”

5 K a whakahokia e Ihu, He pono, he pono taku e mea nei ki a koe, Ki te kahore te tangata e whanau i te wai, i te Wairua hoki, e kore ia e ahei te tomo ki te rangatiratanga o te Atua.

Jesus answered, “For sure, I tell you, unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit of God, he cannot get into the holy nation of God.

6 K o ta te kikokiko e whanau ai he kikokiko; ko ta te Wairua e whanau ai he wairua.

Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 A ua ra e miharo ki taku i mea nei ki a koe, he mea tuturu tenei kia whanau hou koutou.

“Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

8 E pupuhi ana te hau ki tana wahi e pai ai, ka rongo hoki koe ki tona haruru, otiia e kore e mohiotia e koe te wahi i puta mai ai, e tae atu ai ranei: ko te ritenga tenei ki te hunga katoa ka whanau i te Wairua.

The wind blows where it wants to and you hear its sound. You do not know where it comes from or where it goes. It is the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit of God.”

9 K a whakahoki a Nikorima, ka mea ki a ia, Me pehea ka taea ai enei mea?

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can this be?”

10 K a whakahoki a Ihu, ka mea ki a ia, Ko koe te Kaiwhakaako o Iharaira, a kahore i matau ki enei mea?

Jesus said, “Are you a teacher among the Jews and do not know these things?

11 H e pono, he pono taku e mea nei ki a koe, E korerotia ana e matou ta matou i matau ai, e whakaaturia ana ta matou i kite ai; heoi, e kore koutou e tango ki ta matou whakaaturanga.

For sure, I tell you, We are talking about things We know. We tell of what We have seen. Yet you do not take Our words to be true.

12 K i te mea kua korerotia e ahau ki a koutou nga mea o te whenua, a kahore koutou e whakapono, me pehea ka whakapono ai ki te korerotia e ahau ki a koutou nga mea o te rangi?

I tell you about things of the earth and you do not believe them. How will you believe if I tell you things about heaven?

13 K ahore hoki he tangata i kake noa ki te rangi, ko ia anake i heke iho i te rangi, ara ko te Tama a te tangata, e noho mai nei i te rangi.

“No one has gone up into heaven except the One Who came down from heaven. That One is the Son of Man Who is in heaven.

14 K a rite hoki ki ta Mohi whakairinga i te nakahi i te koraha, kua takoto te tikanga kia pera te whakairinga o te Tama a te tangata.

As Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.

15 K ia kahore ai e ngaro te tangata e whakapono ana ki a ia, engari kia whiwhi ai ki te ora tonu.

Then whoever puts his trust in Him will have life that lasts forever.

16 K oia ano te aroha o te Atua ki te ao, homai ana e ia tana Tama kotahi, kia kahore ai e ngaro te tangata e whakapono ana ki a ia, engari kia whiwhi ai ki te ora tonu.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever.

17 K ihai hoki te Atua i tono mai i tana Tama ki te ao ki te whakahe i te ao; engari kia ora ai te ao i a ia.

For God did not send His Son into the world to say it is guilty. He sent His Son so the world might be saved from the punishment of sin by Him.

18 K o ia e whakapono ana ki a ia, e kore e tau te he ki a ia: tena ko ia e kore e whakapono, kua whakahengia noatia ake, mona kihai i whakapono ki te ingoa o te Tama kotahi a te Atua.

Whoever puts his trust in His Son is not guilty. Whoever does not put his trust in Him is guilty already. It is because he does not put his trust in the name of the only Son of God.

19 K o te whakahenga hoki tenei, no te mea kua tae mai nei te marama ki te ao, a nui atu to nga tangata aroha ki te pouri i to ratou ki te marama, he kino hoki no a ratou mahi.

“The Light has come into the world. And the Light is the test by which men are guilty or not. People love darkness more than the Light because the things they do are sinful.

20 E kino ana hoki ki te marama nga kaimahi katoa i te kino, e kore ano hoki e haere mai ki te marama, kei whakakitea a ratou mahi.

Everyone who sins hates the Light. He stays away from the Light because his sin would be found out.

21 T ena ko te kaimahi i te pono, e haere mai ana ki te marama, kia kitea ai ana mahi, he mea mahi i roto i te Atua.

The man who does what is right comes to the Light. What he does will be seen because he has done what God wanted him to do.” Jesus Preaches in Judea

22 A no muri i enei mea ka haere a Ihu, ratou ko ana akonga, ki te whenua o Huria; a noho tahi ana ratou ki reira, me tana iriiri ano.

After this, Jesus and His followers came into the country of Judea. He stayed with them there and baptized people. John the Baptist Tells More about Jesus

23 N a i te iriiri ano hoki a Hoani ki Enona, ki tetahi wahi e tata ana ki Harema, no te mea he nui te wai o reira: a ka haere mai ratou, ka iriiria.

John was baptizing in the town of Aenon near Salim. There was much water there and people were coming to be baptized.

24 K ahore ano hoki a Hoani i panga ki te whare herehere.

John had not been put in prison yet.

25 N a ka ara he totohe a nga akonga a Hoani ki tetahi Hurai mo te purenga.

Then some of the followers of John and a Jew started to argue about the religious washing of the Jewish worship.

26 A ka haere ratou ki a Hoani, ka mea ki a ia, E Rapi, ko te tangata i tawahi na korua o Horano, ko tau i whakaatu mai na, nana, kei te iriiri ia, e haere ana hoki te katoa ki a ia.

They came to John and said to him, “Teacher, the One with you on the other side of the Jordan River is baptizing also. He is the One you told of. Everyone is going to Him.”

27 K a whakahoki a Hoani, ka mea, E kore tetahi mea e riro i te tangata, ki te kore e homai ki a ia i te rangi.

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

28 K o koutou hei kaiwhakaae ki ahau, ki taku meatanga, Ehara ahau i a te Karaiti, engari i tonoa mai ahau i mua i a ia.

You heard the words that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him.’

29 K o te tangata i te wahine marena hou, ko ia te tane marena hou: na ko te hoa o te tane marena hou, e tu ana, e rongo ana ki a ia, ka hari pu ki te reo o te tane marena hou: na reira i tutuki ai tenei hari oku.

The man who has just been married has the bride. The friend of the man just married stands at his side and listens to him. He has joy when he hears the voice of the man just married. I am full of this joy.

30 K o te tikanga tenei, ko ia kia nui haere, ko ahau kia iti haere.

He must become more important. I must become less important.

31 K o ia e haere mai ana i runga, kei runga ake ia i te katoa: ko to te whenua no te whenua ia, no te whenua ano ana korero: ko ia e haere mai ana i te rangi, kei runga ake ia i te katoa.

“He Who comes from above is above all. He who comes from the earth is of the earth and speaks of the earth. He Who comes from heaven is above all.

32 A ko tana i kite ai, i rongo ai, ko ia tana e whakaatu ai: kahore hoki tetahi tangata e tango atu ki tana whakaaturanga.

He tells of what He has seen and heard. But no one believes what He says.

33 K i te manako tetahi ki tana whakaaturanga, kua piri tana tohu ki te pono o ta te Atua.

Whoever receives His words proves that God is true.

34 K o ta te Atua i tono mai ai, e korero ana ia i nga kupu a te Atua: kahore hoki te Wairua e homai e te Atua i runga i te mehua.

He was sent by God and He speaks God’s Word. God gives Him all of His Spirit.

35 E aroha ana te Matua ki te Tama, kua hoatu ano nga mea katoa ki tona ringa.

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

36 K o ia e whakapono ana ki te Tama, he ora tonu tona: ko ia e kore e whakapono ki te Tama, e kore e kite i te ora; engari ka mau tonu te riri a te Atua ki a ia.

He who puts his trust in the Son has life that lasts forever. He who does not put his trust in the Son will not have life, but the anger of God is on him.”