Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 (A)The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus (B)went up to Jerusalem. 14 (C)In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make (D)my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, (E)“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18 So the Jews said to him, (F)“What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, (G)“Destroy this temple, and in three days (H)I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,[a] and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about (I)the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, (J)his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed (K)the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus Knows What Is in Man

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name (L)when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus (M)on his part did not entrust himself to them, because (N)he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for (O)he himself knew what was in man.

You Must Be Born Again

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named (P)Nicodemus, (Q)a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus[b] (R)by night and said to him, (S)“Rabbi, (T)we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do (U)unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is (V)born (W)again[c] he cannot (X)see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born (Y)of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (Z)That which is born of the flesh is (AA)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[d] (AB)Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You[e] must be born (AC)again.’ (AD)The wind[f] blows (AE)where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to him, (AF)“How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel (AG)and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, (AH)we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but (AI)you[g] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 (AJ)No one has (AK)ascended into heaven except (AL)he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[h] 14 And (AM)as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man (AN)be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes (AO)in him (AP)may have eternal life.[i]

For God So Loved the World

16 “For (AQ)God so loved (AR)the world,[j] (AS)that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not (AT)perish but have eternal life. 17 For (AU)God did not send his Son into the world (AV)to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 (AW)Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (AX)believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 (AY)And this is the judgment: (AZ)the light has come into the world, and (BA)people loved the darkness rather than the light because (BB)their works were evil. 20 (BC)For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, (BD)lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever (BE)does what is true (BF)comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and (BG)was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for (BH)John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over (BI)purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, (BJ)“Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, (BK)to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and (BL)all are going to him.” 27 John answered, (BM)“A person cannot receive even one thing (BN)unless it is given him (BO)from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, (BP)‘I am not the Christ, but (BQ)I have been sent before him.’ 29 (BR)The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. (BS)The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, (BT)rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 (BU)He must increase, but I must decrease.”[k]

31 (BV)He who comes from above (BW)is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and (BX)speaks in an earthly way. (BY)He who comes from heaven (BZ)is above all. 32 (CA)He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, (CB)yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony (CC)sets his seal to this, (CD)that God is true. 34 For he whom (CE)God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit (CF)without measure. 35 (CG)The Father loves the Son and (CH)has given all things into his hand. 36 (CI)Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; (CJ)whoever does not obey the Son shall not (CK)see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and (CL)baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed (CM)again for Galilee. (CN)And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field (CO)that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, (CP)wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.[l]

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, (CQ)“Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” ((CR)For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you (CS)living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 (CT)Are you greater than our father Jacob? (CU)He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but (CV)whoever drinks of the water that I will give him (CW)will never be thirsty again.[m] The water that I will give him will become (CX)in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, (CY)give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, (CZ)call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that (DA)you are (DB)a prophet. 20 (DC)Our fathers worshiped on (DD)this mountain, but you say that (DE)in Jerusalem is (DF)the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, (DG)“Woman, believe me, (DH)the hour is coming when (DI)neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 (DJ)You worship what you do not know; (DK)we worship what we know, for (DL)salvation is (DM)from the Jews. 23 But (DN)the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father (DO)in spirit and (DP)truth, for the Father (DQ)is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that (DR)Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, (DS)he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, (DT)“I who speak to you am he.”

27 Just then (DU)his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man (DV)who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, (DW)“Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, (DX)“Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, (DY)“My food is (DZ)to do the will of him who sent me and (EA)to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that (EB)the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that (EC)sower and (ED)reaper (EE)may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, (EF)‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap (EG)that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, (EH)and you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many Samaritans (EI)from that town believed in him (EJ)because of (EK)the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed (EL)because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, (EM)and we know that this is indeed (EN)the Savior (EO)of the world.”

Footnotes

  1. John 2:20 Or This temple was built forty-six years ago
  2. John 3:2 Greek him
  3. John 3:3 Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7
  4. John 3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
  5. John 3:7 The Greek for you is plural here
  6. John 3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
  7. John 3:11 The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12
  8. John 3:13 Some manuscripts add who is in heaven
  9. John 3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15
  10. John 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world
  11. John 3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36
  12. John 4:6 That is, about noon
  13. John 4:14 Greek forever

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts(A)

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,(B) Jesus went up to Jerusalem.(C) 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves,(D) and others sitting at tables exchanging money.(E) 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house(F) into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[a](G)

18 The Jews(H) then responded to him, “What sign(I) can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”(J)

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”(K)

20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.(L) 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.(M) Then they believed the scripture(N) and the words that Jesus had spoken.

23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival,(O) many people saw the signs(P) he was performing and believed(Q) in his name.[b] 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind,(R) for he knew what was in each person.(S)

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus(T) who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.(U) He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi,(V) we know(W) that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs(X) you are doing if God were not with him.”(Y)

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[c](Z)

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.(AA) Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[d] gives birth to spirit.(AB) You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[e] must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[f](AC)

“How can this be?”(AD) Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,”(AE) said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know,(AF) and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.(AG) 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven(AH) except the one who came from heaven(AI)—the Son of Man.[g](AJ) 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,(AK) so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[h](AL) 15 that everyone who believes(AM) may have eternal life in him.”[i](AN)

16 For God so loved(AO) the world that he gave(AP) his one and only Son,(AQ) that whoever believes(AR) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(AS) 17 For God did not send his Son into the world(AT) to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.(AU) 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned,(AV) but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.(AW) 19 This is the verdict: Light(AX) has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.(AY) 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.(AZ) 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

John Testifies Again About Jesus

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.(BA) 23 Now John(BB) also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.)(BC) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.(BD) 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi,(BE) that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified(BF) about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’(BG) 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom.(BH) The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.(BI) 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”[j]

31 The one who comes from above(BJ) is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth.(BK) The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard,(BL) but no one accepts his testimony.(BM) 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent(BN) speaks the words of God, for God[k] gives the Spirit(BO) without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.(BP) 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,(BQ) but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

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

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

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”(BV) (His disciples had gone into the town(BW) to buy food.)

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

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.”(BY)

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(BZ) 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.(CA) Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water(CB) welling up to eternal life.”(CC)

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty(CD) 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.(CE) 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,(CF) but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”(CG)

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming(CH) when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.(CI) 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know;(CJ) we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.(CK) 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come(CL) when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit(CM) and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit,(CN) and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

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

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

The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

27 Just then his disciples returned(CQ) 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.(CR) Could this be the Messiah?”(CS) 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

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

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat(CU) 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(CV) of him who sent me and to finish his work.(CW) 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.(CX) 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests(CY) a crop for eternal life,(CZ) so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’(DA) 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(DB) believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”(DC) 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.”(DD)

Footnotes

  1. John 2:17 Psalm 69:9
  2. John 2:23 Or in him
  3. John 3:3 The Greek for again also means from above; also in verse 7.
  4. John 3:6 Or but spirit
  5. John 3:7 The Greek is plural.
  6. John 3:8 The Greek for Spirit is the same as that for wind.
  7. John 3:13 Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven
  8. John 3:14 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.
  9. John 3:15 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.
  10. John 3:30 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 36.
  11. John 3:34 Greek he
  12. John 4:9 Or do not use dishes Samaritans have used