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

وَكانَ هُناكَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الفِرِّيْسِيِّيْنَ اسْمُهُ نِيقُودِيْمُوسُ، كانَ مِنْ قادَةِ اليَهُودِ.

2 t his 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.'

فَجاءَ إلَى يَسُوعَ لَيلاً وَقالَ لَهُ: «يا مُعَلِّمُ، نَحْنُ نَعلَمُ أنَّكَ مُعَلِّمٌ جِئْتَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ، لِأنَّهُ ما مِنْ أحَدٍ يَسْتَطِيْعُ أنْ يَصْنَعَ المُعجِزاتِ الَّتِي تَصْنَعُها أنتَ إنْ لَمْ يَكُنِ اللهُ مَعَهُ.»

3 J esus 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;'

فَأجابَهُ يَسُوعُ: «أقُولُ الحَقَّ لَكَ: لَنْ يَرَى أحَدٌ مَلَكُوتَ اللهِ ما لَمْ يُولَدْ ثانِيَةً.»

4 N icodemus 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?'

فَقالَ لَهُ نِيْقُودِيْمُوسُ: «وَكَيْفَ يُمْكِنُ لِأحَدٍ أنْ يُولَدَ ثانِيَةً وَهُوَ عَجُوزٌ؟ أيُمكِنُهُ أنْ يَدخُلَ بَطْنَ أُمِّهِ ثانِيَةً وَيُولَدَ؟»

5 J esus 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;

فَأجابَ يَسُوعُ: «أقُولُ الحَقَّ لَكَ: يَنبَغِي أنْ يُولَدَ الإنسانُ مِنَ الماءِ وَالرُّوحِ، وَإلّا فَلَنْ يَدْخُلَ مَلَكُوتَ اللهِ.

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

فَما يُولَدُ مِنَ البَشَرِ هُوَ بَشَرِيٌّ، وَما يُولَدُ مِنَ الرُّوحِ هُوَ رُوحِيٌّ.

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

لا تَسْتَغرِبْ أنِّي قُلْتُ لَكَ يَنبَغِي أنْ تُولَدُوا ثانِيَةً.

8 t he 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.'

تَهُبُّ الرِّيْحُ حَيْثُ تُحِبُّ. فَأنتَ تَسْمَعُ صَوْتَها، لَكِنَّكَ لا تَعْرِفُ مِنْ أيْنَ تَأْتِي وَلا إلَى أيْنَ تَذْهَبُ. هَكَذا هُوَ الأمْرُ مَعَ كُلِّ مَنْ يُولَدُ مِنَ الرُّوحِ.»

9 N icodemus answered and said to him, `How are these things able to happen?'

فَقالَ نِيْقُودِيْمُوسُ: «كَيْفَ يُمْكِنُ أنْ يَكُونَ هَذا؟»

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

فَأجابَ يَسُوعُ: «كَيْفَ لا تَعلَمُ هَذا وَأنتَ مِنْ مُعَلِّمِي بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ؟

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;

أقُولُ الحَقَّ لَكَ: إنَّنا نَتَحَدَّثُ عَمّا نَعْرِفُ، وَنُخبِرُ بِما رَأيْنا، لَكِنَّكُمْ تَرْفُضُونَ ما نَقُولُ.

12 i f 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?

حَدَّثْتُكُمْ عَنِ الأُمُورِ الأرْضِيَّةِ وَلا تُؤْمِنُونَ، فَكَيْفَ سَتُؤْمِنُونَ إنْ حَدَّثْتُكُمْ عَنِ الأُمُورِ السَّماوِيَّةِ؟

13 a nd 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.

وَلَمْ يَصْعَدْ أحَدٌ إلَى السَّماءِ، إلّا الَّذِي نَزَلَ مِنَ السَّماءِ. وَهُوَ ابْنُ الإنسانِ.

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

وَكَما رَفَعَ مُوسَى الحَيَّةَ فِي البَرِّيَّةِ، يَنبَغِي أنْ يُرفَعَ ابْنُ الإنسانِ،

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

لِكَيْ يَنالَ كُلُّ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ الحَياةَ الأبَدِيَّةَ.»

16 f or 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.

فَقَدْ أحَبَّ اللهُ العالَمَ كَثِيْراً، حَتَّى إنَّهُ قَدَّمَ ابْنَهُ الوَحِيْدَ، لِكَيْ لا يَهلِكَ كُلُّ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ، بَلْ تَكُونُ لَهُ الحَياةُ الأبَدِيَّةُ.

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

فَاللهُ لَمْ يُرْسِلِ ابْنَهُ إلَى العالَمِ لِكَيْ يَدِيْنَ العالَمَ، لَكِنَّهُ أرسَلَهُ لِكَيْ يُخَلِّصَ بِهِ العالَمَ.

18 h e 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.

مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ لا يُدانُ، أمّا الَّذِي لا يُؤْمِنُ فَهُوَ مُدانٌ لِأنَّهُ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاسْمِ ابْنِ اللهِ الوَحِيْدِ.

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;

وَهَذا هُوَ أساسُ الدَّيْنُونَةِ: أنَّ النُّورَ قَدْ جاءَ إلَى العالَمِ، لَكِنَّ النّاسَ فَضَّلُوا الظُّلْمَةَ عَلَى النُّورِ لِأنَّ أعمالَهُمْ كانَتْ شِرِّيْرَةً.

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

فَمَنْ يَفْعَلُ الشُّرُورَ يَكْرَهُ النُّورَ. وَهُوَ لا يَأْتِي إلَى النُّورِ خَوْفاً مِنْ أنْ تَنكَشِفَ أعمالُهُ.

21 b ut 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.'

أمّا الَّذِي يُطِيْعُ الحَقَّ، فَيَأْتِي إلَى النُّورِ لِكَيْ يَتَّضِحَ أنَّهُ يَعْمَلُ أعمالَهُ بِقُوَّةِ اللهِ. يَسُوعُ وَيُوحَنّا المَعْمَدان

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

بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ ذَهَبَ يَسُوعُ وَتَلامِيْذُهُ إلَى إقلِيْمِ اليَهُودِيَّةِ. فَأقامَ هُناكَ مَعَهُمْ، وَكانَ يُعَمِّدُ النّاسَ.

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

وَكانَ يُوحَنّا أيضاً يُعَمِّدُ فِي مِنْطَقَةِ عَيْنِ نُونَ قُرْبَ قَرْيَةِ سالِيْمَ. فَقَدْ كانَ هُناكَ ماءٌ كَثِيْرٌ، وَكانَ النّاسُ يَأْتُونَ وَيَتَعَمَّدُونَ هُناكَ،

24 f or John was not yet cast into the prison --

إذْ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُوحَنّا قَدْ سُجِنَ بَعْدُ.

25 t here arose then a question from the disciples of John with Jews about purifying,

وَحَدَثَتْ مُجادَلَةٌ بَيْنَ بَعْضِ تَلامِيْذِ يُوحَنّا وَبَيْنَ رَجُلٍ يَهُودِيٍّ حَولَ مَسْألَةِ الاغتِسالِ الطَّقْسِيِّ.

26 a nd 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.'

فَجاءُوا إلَى يُوحَنّا وَقالُوا لَهُ: «يا مُعَلِّمُ، لَقَدْ شَهِدْتَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي كانَ مَعَكَ عَلَى الضِّفَّةِ الشَّرْقِيَّةِ مِنْ نَهْرِ الأُردُنِّ. وَها هُوَ أيْضاً يُعَمِّدُ النّاسَ، وَالجَمِيعُ يَذْهَبُونَ إلَيْهِ!»

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

فَقالَ لَهُمْ يُوحَنّا: «لا يَسْتَطِيْعُ أحَدٌ أنْ يَأْخُذَ شَيْئاً ما لَمْ يُعْطَ لَهُ مِنَ السَّماءِ.

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

وَأنتُمْ أنفُسُكُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ عَلى أنِّي قُلْتُ: أنا لَسْتُ المَسِيْحَ، لَكِنَّ اللهَ أرسَلَنِي قَبلَهُ.

29 h e 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.

العَرُوسُ لِلعَرِيْسِ، أمّا إشْبِيْنُ العَرِيْسِ فَيَقِفُ مُنتَظِراً أنْ يَسْمَعَ صَوْتَهُ. وَيَفْرَحُ كَثِيْراً حِيْنَ يَسْمَعُ صَوْتَ العَرِيْسِ. وَقَدِ اكتَمَلَ الآنَ فَرَحِي هَذا بِمَجِيْئِهِ.

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

يَنبَغِي أنْ تَزْدادَ أهَمِّيَتُهُ، وَأنْ تَنقُصَ أهَمِّيَّتِي.» يَسُوعُ فَوقَ الجَمِيع

31 h e 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.

وَتابَعَ يُوحَنّا فَقالَ: «الَّذِي يَأْتِي مِنْ فَوْقُ يَكُونُ فَوْقَ الجَمِيعِ. أمّا الَّذِي مِنَ الأرْضِ، فَإلَى الأرْضِ يَنتَمِي، وَيَتَكَلَّمُ كَلاماً أرْضِيّاً. فَمَنْ يَأْتِي مِنَ السَّماءِ يَسْمُو عَلَى الجَمِيعِ.

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

فَهُوَ يَشْهَدُ بِما رَأى وَسَمِعَ. وَما مِنْ أحَدٍ مِنْكُمْ يَقْبَلُ شَهادَتَهُ.

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

أمّا مَنْ يَقْبَلُ شَهادَتَهُ فَهُوَ يُقِرُّ بِأنَّ اللهَ صادِقٌ.

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

لِأنَّ الَّذِي أرسَلَهُ اللهُ، يَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلامِ اللهِ. فَاللهُ يُعطِي الرُّوحَ لِلابْنِ بِلا حَدٍّ.

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

الآبُ يُحِبُّ الابْنَ، وَقَدْ وَضَعَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فِي يَدِهِ.

36 h e 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.'

فَالَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ بِالابْنِ يَملِكُ حَياةً أبَدِيَّةً، أمّا الَّذِي لا يُؤْمِنُ بِالابْنِ فَلَنْ يَرَى تِلْكَ الحَياةَ، وَلَنْ يُرْفَعَ عَنْهُ غَضَبُ اللهِ.»