John 4
Modern English Version
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
4 Now when the Lord learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
4 Now it was necessary that He go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, therefore, being exhausted from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came there 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 woman of Samaria?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you 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, along with his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water that I shall give him will become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life.”
15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered, “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 he whom you now have is not your husband. So you have spoken truthfully.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you all say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 Yet the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father seeks such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
27 Then His disciples came. They marveled that He talked with a woman. Yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28 The woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the city and came to Him.
31 Meanwhile His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
33 Therefore the disciples said one to another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Listen! I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest. 36 He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit that leads to eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this is the saying true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap a crop for which you did not labor. And you have benefited from their labor.”
39 Many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to remain with them. And He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His word.
42 They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this Man is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
The Healing of the Nobleman’s Son(A)
43 After the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 Then, when He came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him, having seen all the things He did at Jerusalem at the feast. For they had also gone to the feast.
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him, pleading that He would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your son lives.”
And the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 While he was going down, his servants met him and told him, “Your son lives!” 52 When he inquired of them the hour when he began to heal, they answered, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
53 Then the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” So he and his whole household believed.
54 This was the second sign that Jesus did when He had come from Judea to Galilee.
John 4
1599 Geneva Bible
4 6 Jesus being weary, asketh drink of the woman of Samaria. 21 He teacheth the true worship. 26 He confesseth that he is the Messiah, 32 His meat. 39 The Samaritans believe in him. 46 He healeth the Ruler’s son.
1 Now [a]when the Lord knew, how the Pharisees had heard, that Jesus made (A)and baptized more disciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not: but his disciples.)
3 He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 [b]Then came he to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near unto the possession that (B)Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 And there was Jacob’s Well. Jesus then wearied in the journey, sat [c]thus on the Well: it was about the [d]sixth hour.
7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said unto her, Give me drink.
8 For his disciples were gone away into the city, to buy meat.
9 Then said the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it, that thou being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews [e]meddle not with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest [f]that gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee [g]water of life.
11 The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the Well is deep: from whence then hast thou that water of life?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the Well, and he himself drank thereof, and his sons, and his cattle.
13 Jesus answered, and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water, shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never be more athirst: but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman said unto him, Sir, give me of that water, that I may not thirst, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus said unto her, Go, call thine husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered, and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, thou hast well said, I have no husband.
18 For thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast, is not thine husband: that saidest thou truly.
19 The woman said unto him, Sir, I see that thou art a Prophet.
20 [h]Our fathers worshipped in this [i]mountain, and ye say, that in (C)Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus said unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor at Jerusalem worship the Father.
22 Ye worship that which ye (D)know not: we worship that which we know: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in [j]Spirit and Truth: for the Father requireth even such to worship him.
24 (E)God is a [k]Spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in Spirit and Truth.
25 The woman said unto him, I know well that Messiah shall come, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus said unto her, I am he, that speak unto thee.
27 ¶ And upon that, came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with a woman: yet no man said unto him, What askest thou? or why talkest thou with her.
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men,
29 Come, see a man which hath told me all things that ever I did: is not he that Christ?
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
31 ¶ In the meanwhile, the disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 [l]But he said unto them, I have meat to eat, that ye know not of.
33 Then said the disciples between themselves, Hath any man brought him meat?
34 Jesus said unto them, My meat is that I may do the will of him that sent me, and finish his work.
35 [m]Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the regions: (F)for they are white already unto harvest.
36 [n]And he that reapeth, receiveth reward, and gathered fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth might rejoice together.
37 For herein is the [o]saying true, that one soweth and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that, whereon ye bestowed no labor: other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors.
39 [p]Now many of the Samaritans of that city believed in him, for the saying of the woman which testified, He hath told me all things that ever I did.
40 Then when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him, that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word.
42 And they said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed that Christ the Savior of the world.
43 ¶ [q]So two days after he departed thence, and went into [r]Galilee.
44 For Jesus himself had (G)testified, that a Prophet hath none honor in his own country.
45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, which had seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they went also to the feast.
46 [s]And Jesus came again into (H)Cana a town of Galilee, where he had made of water wine. And there was a certain [t]ruler, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would go down, and heal his son: for he was even ready to die.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
49 The ruler said unto him, Sir, go down before my son dies.
50 Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy son liveth: and the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and went his way.
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, saying, Thy son liveth.
52 Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 Then the father knew that it was the same hour in the which Jesus had said unto him, Thy son liveth. And he believed, and all his household.
54 This second miracle did Jesus again, after he was come out of Judea into Galilee.
Footnotes
- John 4:1 This measure is to be kept in doing of our duty, that neither by fear we be terrified from going forward, neither by rashness procure or pluck dangers upon our heads.
- John 4:5 Christ leaving the proud Pharisees, communicateth the treasures of everlasting life with a poor sinful woman, and stranger, refelling the gross errors of the Samaritans, and defending the true service of God, which was delivered to the Jews, but yet so, that he calleth both of them back to himself as one whom only all the fathers, and also all the ceremonies of the Law did regard, and had a respect unto.
- John 4:6 Even as he was weary, or because he was weary.
- John 4:6 It was almost noon.
- John 4:9 There is no familiarity nor friendship, between the Jews and the Samaritans.
- John 4:10 By this word (That) we are given to understand, that Christ speaketh of some excellent gift, that is to say, even of himself, whom his Father offered to this woman.
- John 4:10 This everlasting water, that is to say, the exceeding love of God, is called living, or of life, to make a difference between it, and the water that should be drawn out of a well: and these metaphors are very much used of the Jews, Jer. 2:13; Joel 3:18; Zech. 13:11.
- John 4:20 All the religion of superstitious people, standeth for the most part, upon two pillars, but very weak, that is to say upon the examples of the fathers perverted, and a foolish opinion of outward things: against which errors we have to set the word and nature of God.
- John 4:20 The name of this mountain is Gerizim, whereupon Sanabaletta the Cushite built a Temple by Alexander of Macedonia’s leave, after the victory of Issica, and made there Manasses his son-in-law high priest, Josephus, book 11.
- John 4:23 This word (Spirit) is to be taken here, as it is set against that commandment, which is called carnal, Heb. 7:16, as the commandment is considered in itself: and so he speaketh of (Truth) not as we set it against a lie, but as we take it in respect of the outward ceremonies of the Law: which did only shadow that which Christ performed indeed.
- John 4:24 By the word (Spirit) he meaneth the nature of the Godhead, and not the third person in the Trinity.
- John 4:32 We may have care of our bodies, but yet so, that we prefer willingly and freely the occasion which is offered us to enlarge the kingdom of God, before all necessities of this life whatsoever.
- John 4:35 When the spiritual corn is ripe, we must not linger: for so the children of this world would condemn us.
- John 4:36 The doctrine of the Prophets was as it were a sowing time: and the doctrine of the Gospel, as the harvest, and there is an excellent agreement between them both, and the ministers of them both.
- John 4:37 That proverb.
- John 4:39 The Samaritans do most joyfully embrace that which the Jews most stubbornly rejected.
- John 4:43 The despisers of Christ deprive themselves of his benefit: yet Christ prepareth a place for himself.
- John 4:43 Into the towns and villages of Galilee: for he would not make abode in his country of Nazareth, because they despised him, and where (as the other Evangelists write) the efficacy of his benefits was hindered through their marvelous stiffneckedness.
- John 4:46 Although Christ be absent in body, yet he worketh mightily in the believers by his word.
- John 4:46 Some of Herod’s courtiers, for though Herod was not a king, but a Tetrarch, yet the lofty name only except, he was a king, or at least the people called him a king.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
