John 3:16
King James Version
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
World Bible Guide plain reading
God's love for the world was so immense, He gifted us His only Son. Anyone who trusts in Him will not face death, but enjoy a life that never ends.
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Where John 3:16 sits
- It belongs to a conversation at night. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and “a ruler of the Jews”, “came to Jesus by night”, and the chapter follows their talk (John 3:1–2).
- Just before it comes a comparison: “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14). Moses’ “serpent of brass” is in Numbers 21:9.
- The next verse carries it on: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).
- Nicodemus appears twice more in John: he speaks up for Jesus among the Pharisees, and he brings “a mixture of myrrh and aloes” to his burial (John 7:50–51; John 19:39).
The plain reading is a companion paraphrase for reflection, set beside the King James text so you can compare the two. About our content
John 3:14–18, verse by verse
Each verse is given twice: first in the King James Version, then in the World Bible Guide plain reading.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Just as Moses raised the snake in the desert for all to see and be healed, so too must the Son of Man be elevated for everyone's salvation.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Anyone who trusts in Him will not be lost, but will live forever.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God's love for the world was so immense, He gifted us His only Son. Anyone who trusts in Him will not face death, but enjoy a life that never ends.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
God didn't send His Son to judge us, but to offer us a path to salvation.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Those who trust in Him are free from judgment. But those who don't, they're already judged, for they've rejected God's one and only Son.
Bring a question about John 3:16
Ask Simon Peter, Paul, Philip, John the Baptist, Judas Iscariot or Jesus. When an answer rests on a passage, you see which one. Each person is an interpretation drawn from the text, never the person.
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