¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil^(A) in the eyes of the Lord^(B) and served the Baals.^{(C) 12} They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(D) of the peoples around them.^(E) They aroused^(F) the Lord’s anger^{(G) 13} because they forsook^(H) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^{(I) 14} In his anger^(J) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands^(K) of raiders who plundered^(L) them. He sold them^(M) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^{(N) 15} Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them^(O) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.^(P)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges,^[a](Q) who saved^(R) them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(S) themselves to other gods^(T) and worshiped them.^(U) They quickly turned^(V) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^{(W) 18} Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(X) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented^(Y) because of their groaning^(Z) under those who oppressed and afflicted^(AA) them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(AB) than those of their ancestors,^(AC) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(AD) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(AE) ways.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord was very angry^(AF) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant^(AG) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out^(AH) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test^(AI) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” ²³ The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.^(AJ)

Many Samaritans Believe

³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town^(A) believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”^{(B) 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.”^(C)

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

⁴³ After the two days^(D) he left for Galilee. ⁴⁴ (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)^{(E) 45} When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival,^(F) for they also had been there.

⁴⁶ Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.^(G) And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,^(H) he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

⁴⁸ “Unless you people see signs and wonders,”^(I) Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

⁴⁹ The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

⁵⁰ “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹ While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵² When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

⁵³ Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household^(J) believed.

⁵⁴ This was the second sign^(K) Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.