John 3:5 
Context| NET © | Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, 1 unless a person is born of water and spirit, 2 he cannot enter the kingdom of God. |
| NIV © | Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. |
| NASB © | Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. |
| NLT © | Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. |
| MSG © | Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation--the 'wind hovering over the water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life--it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. |
| BBE © | Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man’s birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God. |
| NRSV © | Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. |
| NKJV © | Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. |
| KJV | |
| NASB © | |
| GREEK | |
| NET © [draft] ITL | |
| NET © | Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, 1 unless a person is born of water and spirit, 2 he cannot enter the kingdom of God. |
| NET © Notes |
1 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.” 2 tn Or “born of water and wind” (the same Greek word, πνεύματος [pneumatos], may be translated either “spirit/Spirit” or “wind”). sn Jesus’ somewhat enigmatic statement points to the necessity of being born “from above,” because water and wind/spirit/Spirit come from above. Isaiah 44:3-5 and Ezek 37:9-10 are pertinent examples of water and wind as life-giving symbols of the Spirit of God in his work among people. Both occur in contexts that deal with the future restoration of Israel as a nation prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom. It is therefore particularly appropriate that Jesus should introduce them in a conversation about entering the kingdom of God. Note that the Greek word πνεύματος is anarthrous (has no article) in v. 5. This does not mean that spirit in the verse should be read as a direct reference to the Holy Spirit, but that both water and wind are figures (based on passages in the OT, which Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel should have known) that represent the regenerating work of the Spirit in the lives of men and women. |
