John 3:22-4:26

New King James Version

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

²² After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them ^(A)and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near ^(B)Salim, because there was much water there. ^(C)And they came and were baptized. ²⁴ For ^(D)John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵ Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. ²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, ^(E)to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all ^(F)are coming to Him!”

²⁷ John answered and said, ^(G)“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ^(H)‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ^(I)‘I have been sent before Him.’ ^29 (J)He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but ^(K)the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. ^30 (L)He must increase, but I must decrease. ^31 (M)He who comes from above ^(N)is above all; ^(O)he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. ^(P)He who comes from heaven is above all. ³² And ^(Q)what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. ³³ He who has received His testimony ^(R)has certified that God is true. ^34 (S)For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit ^(T)by measure. ^35 (U)The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. ^36 (V)He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the ^(W)wrath of God abides on him.”

A Samaritan Woman Meets Her Messiah

4 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and ^(X)baptized more disciples than John ² (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), ³ He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. ⁴ But He needed to go through Samaria.

⁵ So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that ^(Y)Jacob ^(Z)gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

⁷ A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸ For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

⁹ Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For ^(AA)Jews have no dealings with ^(AB)Samaritans.

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the ^(AC)gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you ^(AD)living water.”

¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? ¹² Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but ^(AE)whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him ^(AF)will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

^15 (AG)The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

¹⁷ The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

¹⁹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, ^(AH)I perceive that You are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on ^(AI)this mountain, and you Jews say that in ^(AJ)Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming ^(AK)when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. ²² You worship ^(AL)what you do not know; we know what we worship, for ^(AM)salvation is of the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will ^(AN)worship the Father in ^(AO)spirit ^(AP)and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ^24 (AQ)God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

²⁵ The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah ^(AR)is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, ^(AS)He will tell us all things.”

²⁶ Jesus said to her, ^(AT)“I who speak to you am He.”