Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
9 People who belong to the Lord, fear him!
Those who fear him will have everything they need.
10 Even lions may become weak and hungry.
But those people who go to the Lord for help will have every good thing.
11 Children, come and listen to me.
I will teach you to worship the Lord.
12 You must do these things
to enjoy life and have many happy days.
13 You must not say evil things.
You must not tell lies.
14 Stop doing evil and do good.
Look for peace and work for it.
13 “My eyes have seen all this.
My ears have heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know.
You are not better than I am.
3 But I want to speak to God All-Powerful.
I want to argue my case with God.
4 But you smear me with lies.
You are worthless doctors, all of you!
5 I wish you would just stop talking.
Then you would really be wise!
6 Listen to my argument.
Hear my lips begging.
7 You should not speak for God by saying evil things.
You cannot speak God’s truth by telling lies.
8 You should not unfairly choose his side against mine.
You should not argue the case for God.
9 You will not do well if he examines you.
You cannot fool God as you might fool men.
10 God would surely scold you
if you unfairly took one person’s side.
11 His bright glory would scare you.
You would be very much afraid of him.
12 Your wise sayings are worth no more than ashes.
Your arguments are as weak as clay.
13 “Be quiet and let me speak.
Then let things happen to me as they will.
14 I will put myself in danger
and take my life in my own hands.
15 He will kill me. I have no hope.[a]
But I still will defend my ways to his face.
16 This might really save me,
because a wicked man would not be brave enough to come before him.
17 Listen carefully to what I say.
Let your ears hear what I say.
18 See now, I have prepared my case.
I know I will be proved right.
19 No one can blame me for doing wrong.
If someone can, I will be quiet and die.
7 A Samaritan woman came to the well to get some water. Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 (This happened while Jesus’ followers were in town buying some food.)
9 The woman said, “I am surprised that you ask me for a drink. You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan.” (Jews are not friends with Samaritans.[a])
10 Jesus said, “You don’t know what God gives. And you don’t know who asked you for a drink. If you knew, you would have asked me, and I would have given you living water.”
11 The woman said, “Sir, where will you get that living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with. 12 Are you greater than Jacob, our father? Jacob is the one who gave us this well. He drank from it himself. Also, his sons and flocks drank from this well.”
13 Jesus answered, “Every person who drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give will become a spring of water flowing inside him. It will give him eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty again. And I will not have to come back here to get more water.”
16 Jesus told her, “Go get your husband and come back here.”
17 The woman answered, “But I have no husband.”
Jesus said to her, “You are right to say you have no husband. 18 Really you have had five husbands. But the man you live with now is not your husband. You told the truth.”
19 The woman said, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain. But you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people must worship.”
21 Jesus said, “Believe me, woman. The time is coming when you will not have to be in Jerusalem or on this mountain to worship the Father. 22 You Samaritans worship what you don’t understand. We Jews understand what we worship. Salvation comes from the Jews. 23 The time is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. That time is now here. And these are the kinds of worshipers the Father wants. 24 God is spirit. Those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming.” (Messiah is the One called Christ.) “When the Messiah comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus said, “He is talking to you now. I am he.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.