John 4:1
Now as soon as the Master was aware that the pharisees had heard it said, “Jesus is gaining and baptizing more disciples than John”–
John 4:2
though Jesus Himself did not baptize them, but His disciples did–
John 4:3
He left judaea and returned to Galilee.
John 4:4
His road lay through Samaria,
John 4:5
and so He came to Sychar, a town in Samaria near the piece of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
John 4:6
Jacob’s Well was there: and accordingly Jesus, tired out with His journey, sat down by the well to rest. It was about six o’clock in the evening.
John 4:7
Presently there came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus asked her to give Him some water;
John 4:8
for His disciples were gone to the town to buy provisions.
John 4:9
“How is it,” replied the woman, “that a Jew like you asks me, who am a woman and a Samaritan, for water?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
John 4:10
“If you had known God’s free gift,” replied Jesus, “and who it is that said to you, `Give me some water,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:11
“Sir,” she said, “you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; so where can you get the living water from?
John 4:12
Are you greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us the well, and himself drank from it, as did also his sons and his cattle?”
John 4:13
“Every one,” replied Jesus, “who drinks any of this water will be thirsty again;
John 4:14
but whoever drinks any of the water that I shall give him will never, never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become a fountain within him of water springing up for the life of the Ages.”
John 4:15
“Sir,” said the woman, “give me that water, that I may never be thirsty, nor continually come all the way here to draw from the well.”
John 4:16
“Go and call your husband,” said Jesus; “and come back.”
John 4:17
“I have no husband,” she replied. “You rightly say that you have no husband,” said Jesus;
John 4:18
“for you have had five husbands, and the man you have at present is not your husband. You have spoken the truth in saying that.”
John 4:19
“Sir,” replied the woman, “I see that you are a Prophet.
John 4:20
Our forefathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”
John 4:21
“Believe me,” said Jesus, “the time is coming when you will worship the father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
John 4:22
You worship One of whom you know nothing. We worship One whom we know; for salvation comes from the Jews.
John 4:23
But a time is coming–nay, has already come–when the true worshippers will worship the Father with true spiritual worship; for indeed the Father desires such worshippers.
John 4:24
God is Spirit; and those who worship Him must bring Him true spiritual worship.”
John 4:25
“I know,” replied the woman, “that Messiah is coming–`the Christ,’ as He is called. When He has come, He will tell us everything.”
John 4:26
“I am He,” said Jesus–“I who am now talking to you.”
John 4:27
Just then His disciples came, and were surprised to find Him talking with a woman. Yet not one of them asked Him, “What is your wish?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
John 4:28
The woman however, leaving her pitcher, went away to the town, and called the people.
John 4:29
“Come,” she said, “and see a man who has told me everything I have ever done. Can this be the Christ, do you think?”
John 4:30
They left the town and set out to go to Him.
John 4:31
Meanwhile the disciples were urging Jesus. “Rabbi,” they said, “eat something.”
John 4:32
“I have food to eat,” He replied, “of which you do not know.”
John 4:33
So the disciples began questioning one another. “Can it be,” they said, “that some one has brought Him something to eat?”
John 4:34
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to be obedient to Him who sent me, and fully to accomplish His work.
John 4:35
Do you not say, `It wants four months yet to the harvest’? But look round, I tell you, and observe these plains– they are already ripe for the sickle.
John 4:36
The reaper gets pay and gathers in a crop in preparation for the Life of the Ages, that so the sower and the reapers may rejoice together.
John 4:37
For it is in this that you see the real meaning of the saying, `The sower is one person, and the reaper is another.’
John 4:38
I sent you to reap a harvest which is not the result of your own labours. Others have laboured, and you are getting benefit from their labours.”
John 4:39
Of the Samaritan population of that town a good many believed in Him because of the woman’s statement when she declared, “He has told me all that I have ever done.”
John 4:40
When however the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him on all sides to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
John 4:41
Then a far larger number of people believed because of His own words,
John 4:42
and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe in Him simply because of your statements; for we have now heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the saviour of the world.”
John 4:43
After the two days He departed, and went into Galilee;
John 4:44
though Jesus Himself declared that a Prophet has no honour in his own country.
John 4:45
When however He reached Galilee, the Galilaeans welcomed Him eagerly, having been eye-witnesses of all that He had done in Jerusalem at the Festival; for they also had been to the Festival.
John 4:46
So He came once more to Cana in Galilee, where He had made the water into wine. Now there was a certain officer of the King’s court whose son was ill at Capernaum.
John 4:47
Having heard that Jesus had come from Judaea to Galilee, he came to Him and begged Him to go down and cure his son; for he was at the point of death.
John 4:48
“Unless you and others see miracles and marvels,” said Jesus, “nothing will induce you to believe.”
John 4:49
“Sir,” pleaded the officer, “come down before my child dies.”
John 4:50
“You may return home,” replied Jesus; “your son has recovered.” He believed the words of Jesus, and started back home;
John 4:51
and he was already on his way down when his servants met him and told him that his son was alive and well.
John 4:52
So he inquired of them at what hour he had shown improvement. “Yesterday, about seven o’clock,” they replied, “the fever left him.”
John 4:53
Then the father recollected that that was the time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son has recovered,” and he and his whole household became believers.
John 4:54
This is the second miracle that Jesus performed, after coming from Judaea into Galilee.
Weymouth New Testament 