19 When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, ² Jehu^(A) the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Should you help the wicked^(B) and love^[a] those who hate the Lord?^(C) Because of this, the wrath^(D) of the Lord is on you. ³ There is, however, some good^(E) in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles^(F) and have set your heart on seeking God.^(G)”

Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges

⁴ Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ⁵ He appointed judges^(H) in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. ⁶ He told them, “Consider carefully what you do,^(I) because you are not judging for mere mortals^(J) but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. ⁷ Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice^(K) or partiality^(L) or bribery.”

⁸ In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites,^(M) priests^(N) and heads of Israelite families to administer^(O) the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. ⁹ He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. ¹⁰ In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord;^(P) otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.

¹¹ “Amariah the chief priest will be over you in any matter concerning the Lord, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be over you in any matter concerning the king, and the Levites will serve as officials before you. Act with courage,^(Q) and may the Lord be with those who do well.”

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne^(A) a scroll with writing on both sides^(B) and sealed^(C) with seven seals. ² And I saw a mighty angel^(D) proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴ I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion^(E) of the tribe of Judah,^(F) the Root of David,^(G) has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ Then I saw a Lamb,^(H) looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures^(I) and the elders.^(J) The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes,^(K) which are the seven spirits^[a](L) of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.^{(M) 8} And when he had taken it, the four living creatures^(N) and the twenty-four elders^(O) fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp^(P) and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers^(Q) of God’s people. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:^(R)

¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.^(Y) They encircled the throne and the living creatures^(Z) and the elders.^{(AA) 12} In a loud voice they were saying:

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth^(AE) and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

¹⁴ The four living creatures^(AI) said, “Amen,”^(AJ) and the elders^(AK) fell down and worshiped.^(AL)

A Man With a Measuring Line

2 ^[a]Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. ² I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”^(A)

³ While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him ⁴ and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls^(B) because of the great number^(C) of people and animals in it.^{(D) 5} And I myself will be a wall^(E) of fire^(F) around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory^(G) within.’^(H)

⁶ “Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “for I have scattered^(I) you to the four winds of heaven,”^(J) declares the Lord.^(K)

⁷ “Come, Zion! Escape,^(L) you who live in Daughter Babylon!”^{(M) 8} For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye^(N)— ⁹ I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them.^[b](O) Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.^(P)

¹⁰ “Shout^(Q) and be glad, Daughter Zion.^(R) For I am coming,^(S) and I will live among you,”^(T) declares the Lord.^{(U) 11} “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people.^(V) I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.^{(W) 12} The Lord will inherit^(X) Judah^(Y) as his portion in the holy land and will again choose^(Z) Jerusalem. ¹³ Be still^(AA) before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.^(AB)”

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John^(A)— ² although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. ³ So he left Judea^(B) and went back once more to Galilee.

⁴ Now he had to go through Samaria.^{(C) 5} So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.^{(D) 6} Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”^{(E) 8} (His disciples had gone into the town^(F) to buy food.)

⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan^(G) woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.^[a])

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”^(H)

¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well^(I) and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.^(J) Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water^(K) welling up to eternal life.”^(L)

¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty^(M) and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

¹⁶ He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

¹⁷ “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸ The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.^{(N) 20} Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,^(O) but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”^(P)

²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming^(Q) when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.^{(R) 22} You Samaritans worship what you do not know;^(S) we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.^{(T) 23} Yet a time is coming and has now come^(U) when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit^(V) and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit,^(W) and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

²⁵ The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ)^(X) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

²⁶ Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”^(Y)

The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

²⁷ Just then his disciples returned^(Z) and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

²⁸ Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.^(AA) Could this be the Messiah?”^{(AB) 30} They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

³¹ Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi,^(AC) eat something.”

³² But he said to them, “I have food to eat^(AD) that you know nothing about.”

³³ Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

³⁴ “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will^(AE) of him who sent me and to finish his work.^{(AF) 35} Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.^{(AG) 36} Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests^(AH) a crop for eternal life,^(AI) so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ³⁷ Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’^(AJ) is true. ³⁸ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Many Samaritans Believe

³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town^(AK) believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”^{(AL) 40} So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹ And because of his words many more became believers.

⁴² They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”^(AM)

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

⁴³ After the two days^(AN) he left for Galilee. ⁴⁴ (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)^{(AO) 45} When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival,^(AP) for they also had been there.

⁴⁶ Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.^(AQ) And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,^(AR) he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

⁴⁸ “Unless you people see signs and wonders,”^(AS) Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

⁴⁹ The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

⁵⁰ “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹ While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵² When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

⁵³ Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household^(AT) believed.

⁵⁴ This was the second sign^(AU) Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.