Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

When Jesus[a] learned that the Pharisees(A) had heard he was making(B) and baptizing more disciples than John(C) (though Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), he left Judea(D) and went again to Galilee.(E) He had to travel through Samaria;(F) so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property[b] that Jacob(G) had given his son Joseph.(H) Jacob’s well(I) was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon.[c]

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.(J)

“Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, because his disciples had gone into town to buy food.

“How is it that you, a Jew,(K) ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan(L) woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with[d] Samaritans.[e]

10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God,(M) and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”(N)

11 “Sir,”(O) said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob,(P) are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”

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Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Other mss read the Lord
  2. 4:5 Lit piece of land
  3. 4:6 Lit about the sixth hour
  4. 4:9 Or do not share vessels with
  5. 4:9 Other mss omit For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

Jesus[a] knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.[b] She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

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Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Some manuscripts read The Lord.
  2. 4:9 Some manuscripts do not include this sentence.