John 3

3 ¹Now, one man dey wey be Pharisee, im name na Nicodemus, one oga among di Jew people. ²Dis man come meet Jesus for night talk say, "Rabbi, we sabi say you be teacher wey comot from our Papa, because nobody fit do dis signs wey you dey do if our Papa no dey with am."

³Jesus answer am say, "True-true, I dey tell you: if person no born from up, e no fit see di kingdom of our Papa." ^a a v3 'anōthen' mean 'from up' and 'again' at di same time. Nicodemus hear 'again' — na why im ask about entering im mama belle again (v4).

⁴Nicodemus ask, "How man go take born when e don old? E fit enter im mama belle again come born?"

⁵Jesus answer say, "True-true, I dey tell you, if person no born from water and di Holy Spirit, e no fit enter di kingdom of our Papa. ⁶Wetin flesh born na flesh, and wetin di Holy Spirit born na spirit. ⁷No make e surprise you say I tell you, 'You must born from up.' ⁸Wind dey blow anywhere wey e wan blow; you dey hear di sound but you no sabi where e comot or where e dey go. Na so e be for everybody wey di Spirit born." ^b b v8 Di same word mean 'wind' and 'Spirit' — Jesus take di one wey you fit feel but you no fit trace, take show picture of di One wey dey give new birth.

⁹Nicodemus talk give am say, "How dis things fit be?"

¹⁰Jesus answer am say, "You be di teacher of Israel, but you no understand dis things? ¹¹True-true, I dey tell you: we dey talk wetin we sabi, we dey testify to wetin we don see, but una no dey accept our testimony. ¹²If I tell una about things of dis earth and una no believe, how una go believe if I tell una about things of heaven? ¹³Nobody don climb go heaven except di One wey comot from heaven, di Pikin of Man. ¹⁴Just as Moses lift up di snake for wilderness, na so dem must lift up di Pikin of Man, ^c c v14 Moses lift up one bronze snake for stick inside di wilderness so that any Israel person wey snake bite fit look am come live (Numbers 21:8–9). ¹⁵so that anybody wey believe for am fit get life wey no dey end. ¹⁶Because our Papa love di world so tey e give im only-one Pikin, so that anybody wey believe for am no go perish but go get life wey no dey end. ^d d v16 Di love wey give di Pikin na our Papa im love. Our Papa no send stranger come di world — e give im own Pikin, Jesus, so that we fit come home as im children. ¹⁷Because our Papa no send im Pikin come di world to judge di world, but so that di world fit save through am. ¹⁸Anybody wey believe for am no dey condemn; anybody wey no believe don dey condemn already, because e no believe for di name of di only-one Pikin of our Papa. ¹⁹Na dis be di judgment: light don enter di world, but people love darkness pass light because dia doings bad. ²⁰Everybody wey dey do bad hate di light, and e no go come di light, so that dem no go expose im doings. ²¹But anybody wey dey do di truth dey come di light, so that dem fit show say im work na for our Papa e do am."

Baptism for Judea

²²After dis, Jesus and im disciples enter di countryside of Judea, where e stay with dem, dey baptize. ²³John sef dey baptize for Aenon near Salim, because plenty water dey there, and people come make dem baptize dem, ²⁴because dem never put John for prison that time. ²⁵Now, argument rise between some of John im disciples and one Jew about di matter of washing clean. ²⁶Dem come meet John talk say, "Rabbi, di man wey bin dey with you for di other side of Jordan, di one wey you testify about—e dey baptize, and everybody dey go meet am."

²⁷John answer say, "Person no fit receive even one thing if dem no give am from heaven. ²⁸Una sef fit testify: I talk say 'I no be di Christ, but na dem send me go before am.' ²⁹Di one wey get di bride na di husband—Jesus. Di husband im friend, wey dey stand dey hear am, dey rejoice well-well when e hear di husband voice. So my joy don full now. ^e e v29 John call Jesus di Husband — di One wey our Papa don promise for long say e go come for im Bride, di people wey e love. John im joy na di joy wey friend dey get when di wedding wey dem dey wait for finally reach. ³⁰E must dey increase, but I must dey reduce."

³¹Di One wey comot from up dey above everybody. Di one wey be of earth na of earth, and e dey talk for earth way. Di One wey comot from heaven dey above everybody. ³²E dey testify to wetin e don see and hear, but nobody dey receive im testimony. ³³Anybody wey receive im testimony don confirm say our Papa na true. ³⁴Di One wey our Papa send dey talk di words of our Papa, because e dey give di Holy Spirit without measure. ³⁵Our Papa love di Pikin, and e don put all things for im hand. ^f f v35 Di love between Papa and Pikin wey dis verse show na di inside life of God imself — e no get end, e no dey change, and na from there everything wey our Papa don give di Pikin to carry come di world dey comot. ³⁶Anybody wey believe for di Pikin get life wey no dey end; anybody wey no obey di Pikin no go see life—di anger of our Papa dey remain on am.