31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “(A)Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the (B)disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” 34 Jesus *said to them, “My food is to (C)do the will of Him who sent Me, and to (D)accomplish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white (E)for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving (F)wages and is gathering (G)fruit for (H)eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true: ‘(I)One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have [a]come into their labor.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 4:38 I.e., enjoyed the fruit of their labor

31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi,[a] have something to eat.”

32 But he told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 So the disciples began to say to one another, “No one has brought him anything to eat, have they?”

34 Jesus told them, “My food is doing the will of the one who sent me and completing his work. 35 You say, don’t you, ‘In four more months the harvest will begin?’ Look, I tell you, open your eyes and observe that the fields are ready[b] for harvesting now! 36 The one who harvests is already receiving his wages and gathering a crop for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who harvests may rejoice together. 37 In this respect the saying is true: ‘One person sows, and another person harvests.’[c] 38 I have sent you to harvest what you have not worked for. Others have worked, and you have adopted their work as your own.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 4:31 Rabbi is Heb. for Master and/or Teacher
  2. John 4:35 Lit. white
  3. John 4:37 Cf. Mic 6:15