< John 4 >

1 [At that time, many people were asking] Jesus to baptize them. He did not baptize people; it was [we] his disciples who were doing the baptizing. But when some of the Pharisee [religious group] heard [people say that] Jesus was making more disciples than John [the Baptizer] and was baptizing them, [they became very jealous].
Therefore when the Lord knew, the pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
2
(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but his disciples, )
3 When the Lord [Jesus] heard about that, [so that the Pharisees would not cause trouble for him], he left Judea [district], and went again [with us disciples] to Galilee district.
He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
4 [He] knew that God wanted him to travel through Samaria [district].
And as He must pass through the country of Samaria, He came to a Samaritan city called Sichar,
5 So we arrived at a town named Sychar in Samaria [district]. That was near the plot of ground that [our ancestor] Jacob had given to his son Joseph [long ago].
near the piece of ground which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 The well that [used to] belong to Jacob was on that plot of ground. Jesus was tired from walking. So while [we] disciples went into the town to buy some food, he sat down alongside the well. It was about noontime. A woman who [lived there] in Samaria came to get some water [from the well]. Jesus said to her, “Will you give me [from the well] some water [to drink]?” The [woman knew that] Jews did not like ([to touch things that belong to] Samaritans/[to] come near Samaritans), (OR, Jews did not like to associate with Samaritans, )
And Jacob's well was there. Now Jesus was tired with his journey, and sat down at the well: and it was about the sixth hour of the day,
7
when a woman of Samaria coming to draw water, Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8
(For his disciples were gone away to the city to buy food.)
9 so the woman said to him, “You are a Jew, and I am from Samaria. Furthermore, I am a woman. So ([I am surprised] that you are asking me for a drink [of water]!/how is it that you are asking me for a drink [of water]?) [RHQ]”
But the Samaritan saith unto Him, How is it that thou who art a Jew askest drink of me, who am a Samaritan? for the Jews have no friendly intercourse with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus replied to her, “If you [(sg)] knew what God [wanted to] give you, and if you knew who I am, the one who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked me, and I would have given you water that gives life.”
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.
11 She [thought he was talking about] ordinary [water. So she] said to him, “Sir, you do not have a bucket [or a rope with which to get water from the well], and the well is deep. So [since you cannot get water from this well], where can you get that life-giving water?
The woman saith unto Him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou the living water?
12 Our ancestor Jacob left us this well. He drank water from it, and there was [enough good water] so that his sons and his flocks [of sheep] and goats drank from it also. [Do you claim that] you are greater than Jacob, [and because of that you can give us life-giving water]?”
Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus replied to her, “Everyone who drinks water from this [well] will later become thirsty again.
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water, will thirst again;
14 But those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. On the contrary, the water that I give them will become in their inner beings like a spring of water that will enable them to have eternal life.” (aiōn g165, aiōnios g166)
but he that drinketh of the water which I shall give him, shall never thirst: but the water, which I shall give him, will be in him a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life. (aiōn g165, aiōnios g166)
15 The woman [did not understand that Jesus was speaking figuratively about something that would sustain her spiritually. So she] said to him, “Sir, give me that kind of water so that I will not get thirsty again, and so that I will not have to keep returning here to get water!”
The woman saith unto Him, Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw.
16 [Jesus knew that she did not understand, but he wanted to show her by his God-given knowledge of her personal life that because he was the Messiah he could supply her spiritual need. So] he said to her, “Woman, go and call your husband, and bring him here!”
Jesus saith unto her, Go call thine husband, and come hither.
17 She replied, “I do not have a husband!” Jesus said to her, “You said that you do not have a husband, and that is true.
The woman answered, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her, Thou hast said right, I have no husband:
18 It is also true that you have had five husbands [one by one]. And the man you are living with now is not your husband! What you have said is very true.”
for thou hast had five husbands; and he, whom thou now hast, is not thy husband: this thou hast said true.
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive you must be a prophet [because you are] able [to know people’s secrets].
The woman saith unto Him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 But [let me ask you a different question]: Our ancestors worshipped God here on [Gerizim Mountain], but you [Jews] say that Jerusalem is the place where we must worship [God. So who is right]?”
Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me [when I say that] there will be a time when it will not [matter whether] you worship [God our] Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem [or somewhere else].
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the time is coming, when ye shall worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
22 You [people from Samaria] do not know the one you are worshipping. But we [(exc) Jews] know whom we worship, because it is from [us] Jews that [God has sent the one who] will save people [from the guilt of their sins].
Ye worship ye know not what; but we worship what we know: for salvation is from the Jews.
23 However, there will be a time when those who genuinely worship God will worship him as [God’s] Spirit [directs] and according to [God’s] truth. In fact, that time is now. Those are the kind of worshipers my Father seeks.
But the time is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father requireth such worshippers of Him.
24 God is a spiritual being. So it is necessary that those who worship him must worship him as his Spirit [directs] and [according to God’s] truth.”
God is a spirit, and they that worship Him, must worship in spirit and truth.
25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will tell us everything [we need to know].” (‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’ [both mean ‘God’s promised king]’.)
Then saith the woman unto Him, I know that the Messiah, that is to say the Christ, is coming; and when He comes, He will tell us all things.
26 Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am [the Messiah]!”
Jesus saith unto her, I, who am talking to thee, am He.
27 Just then [we] disciples returned [from town]. [Since it was contrary to our custom for Jewish religious teachers to converse with a woman they did not know], we were surprised that he was talking to a woman. However, none of us asked her, “What do you want?” and none of us asked him, “Why are you talking with her?”
And upon this came his disciples and wondered that He talked with the woman: (though none of them said, What dost thou seek? or, Why dost thou talk with her?)
28 The woman left her water jar there and went into the town. She said to the people there,
therefore the woman left her water-pot, and went away into the city,
29 “Come and see a man who [was able to] tell me all about my past life [HYP], [even though I never met him before] Could this man be the Messiah?”
and saith to the people, Come, see a man who hath told me all that ever I did; is not this the Christ?
30 So [many people] left the town and started going to where Jesus was.
They therefore went out of the city, and came to Him.
31 Meanwhile, we disciples were urging him, “Teacher, eat [some of the food we brought]!”
In the mean time his disciples addressed Him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said to us, “I have food to eat that you do not know anything about!”
But He said unto them, I have food to eat, which ye know not of.
33 So we started saying to each other, “(Surely no one has brought him any food [when we] were not [here]!/Has anyone brought him any food [when we] were not [here]?) [RHQ]”
Therefore the disciples said one to another, Hath any one brought Him aught to eat?
34 Jesus said to us, “Doing what [my Father] who sent me wants [me to do] and finishing the work he [gave me to do] is ([what sustains me/like] my food) [MET].
Jesus saith unto them, My food is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 [At this time of the year] you are saying (OR, your ancestors used to say), ‘There are four months left before we harvest [the crops].’ But I say to you, look carefully [at the non-Jewish people around here. God says, ‘They are ready to accept my message] [MET], [like crops in] fields that are ready for people to harvest.
Do not ye say, it is yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, lift up your eyes, and see the fields, they are already white for harvest.
36 [If you help them to accept my message], I will reward you [MET], [as an owner of a field] pays those who harvest the crops. Because of your work, people will gain eternal life.’ [I have been telling people God’s message. That is like] [MET] a man who plants seeds. [You will help people to accept my message. That will be like] [MET] harvesting crops. [When that happens], both you and I will rejoice. (aiōnios g166)
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth the fruit together unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together; (aiōnios g166)
37 As a result, this saying will become true: One person plants [seeds], but others harvest [the crops].
for herein the saying is verified, that one soweth, and another reapeth,
38 I am sending you [to enable people to accept my message, but you will not be the first ones who tell them God’s message]. Others [previously] worked hard [to tell people God’s message], and now you will be harvesting the results of their work.”
in as much as I have sent you to reap that on which ye have not laboured: others have laboured, and ye are entered into their labors.
39 Many of the Samaria [district] people who [lived] in that town believed that Jesus [was the Messiah] because they heard what that woman said [about Jesus], “That man [was able to] tell me all about my past life [HYP]!”
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him, because of what the woman said, testifying, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when those people of Samaria came to Jesus, they urged him to stay with them. So we stayed there two days.
Therefore when the Samaritans came to Him, they desired Him to stay with them: and He staid there two days.
41 Many more of those people believed ([in Jesus/that he was the Messiah]) because of what he said.
And many more believed on account of his own discourse:
42 They told the woman, “We believe in Jesus [now], but not [just] because of what you told us. Now we have heard him ourselves. And now we know that this man truly is the one who [can] save [people] [MTY] [from the guilt of their sins].”
and said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of what thou hast spoken; for we ourselves have heard Him, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
43 Jesus had said [previously] that people did not honor prophets [like himself when they tried to teach people] in their own home area. So, two days later, Jesus and [we] disciples left that area and went to [his own area in] Galilee [district, because he knew that people there would not think very highly of him, and as a result the Jewish leaders would not be jealous].
And after two days he departed thence, and went into Cana of Galilee.
For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet hath no honor in his own country.
45 However, when we arrived in Galilee [district, many] of the people there welcomed him, because they had been in Jerusalem during the [Passover] celebration and had seen all the things he did there.
And when He was come into Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all that he did in Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went to the feast.
46 Jesus went again to Cana in Galilee [district]. That was where he [previously] turned water into wine. There was one of the king’s officials who lived in Capernaum, whose son was very sick.
Therefore Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where He had made the water wine.
47 When that man heard [others say] that Jesus had returned to Galilee [district] from Judea [district], he went to Jesus [in Cana] and pleaded with him, “Please come down [to Capernaum] and heal my son, who is about to die!”
And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum: who, when he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, went to Him, and intreated Him, that he would come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.
48 Jesus said to him, “You people will believe my message only if you see me perform [more] miracles!”
Jesus therefore said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe.
49 But the official said to him, “Sir, ([I] believe [in you/I believe that you came from God]). [So please] come down [to my home] before my son dies!”
The nobleman saith unto Him, Lord, come down before my child die.
50 Jesus said to him, “Then you may go [home]. Your son (will live/not die)!” The man believed what Jesus said, and left.
Jesus saith unto him, Go, thy son is well. And the man believed what Jesus said unto him, and went his way.
51 [The next day] while he was on the way home, his servants met him. They told him, “Your child is going to live!”
And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, Thy son is well.
52 He asked them, “At what time did my son start to become well?” They said to him, “His fever ceased yesterday [afternoon] at one o’clock.”
He inquired therefore of them the hour in which he grew better: and they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 Then the boy’s father realized that this was the time Jesus told him, “Your son will (live/not die).” So he and all the people in his house believed [that Jesus was the Messiah].
So the father knew that it was in that same hour, in which Jesus said to him, Thy son is well. And he and his whole family believed.
54 That was the second miracle that Jesus performed in Galilee [district], after he had returned from Judea [district].
This is the second miracle that Jesus wrought, upon coming out of Judea into Galilee.

< John 4 >