John, 4

1. When Jesus heard that the Pharisees had found out that he was making and baptising more disciples than John-

1. Now when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John

2. though in fact it was his disciples who baptised, not Jesus himself-

2. (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),

3. he left Judaea and went back to Galilee.

3. he left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

4. He had to pass through Samaria.

4. He had to pass through Samar'ia.

5. On the way he came to the Samaritan town called Sychar near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

5. So he came to a city of Samar'ia, called Sy'char, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6. Jacob's well was there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

6. Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, 'Give me something to drink.'

7. There came a woman of Samar'ia to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

8. His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

8. For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9. The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink?' -- Jews, of course, do not associate with Samaritans.

9. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samar'ia?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

10. Jesus replied to her: If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me something to drink,' you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water.

10. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, `Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

11. 'You have no bucket, sir,' she answered, 'and the well is deep: how do you get this living water?

11. The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water?

12. Are you a greater man than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?'

12. Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?"

13. Jesus replied: Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again;

13. Jesus said to her, "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again,

14. but no one who drinks the water that I shall give will ever be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will become a spring of water within, welling up for eternal life.

14. but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

15. 'Sir,' said the woman, 'give me some of that water, so that I may never be thirsty or come here again to draw water.'

15. The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

16. 'Go and call your husband,' said Jesus to her, 'and come back here.'

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 to say, "I have no husband";

17. The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, `I have no husband';

18. for although you have had five, the one you now have is not your husband. You spoke the truth there.'

18. for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly."

19. 'I see you are a prophet, sir,' said the woman.

19. The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

20. 'Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, though you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.'

20. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."

21. Jesus said: Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

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 worship what we do know; for salvation comes from the Jews.

22. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23. But the hour is coming -- indeed is already here -- when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father seeks.

23. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.

24. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.

24. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

25. The woman said to him, 'I know that Messiah -- that is, Christ -- is coming; and when he comes he will explain everything.'

25. The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things."

26. Jesus said, 'That is who I am, I who speak to you.'

26. Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

27. At this point his disciples returned and were surprised to find him speaking to a woman, though none of them asked, 'What do you want from her?' or, 'What are you talking to her about?'

27. Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, "What do you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with her?"

28. The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people,

28. So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people,

29. 'Come and see a man who has told me everything I have done; could this be the Christ?'

29. "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"

30. This brought people out of the town and they made their way towards him.

30. They went out of the city and were coming to him.

31. Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, 'Rabbi, do have something to eat';

31. Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."

32. but he said, 'I have food to eat that you do not know about.'

32. But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."

33. So the disciples said to one another, 'Has someone brought him food?'

33. So the disciples said to one another, "Has any one brought him food?"

34. But Jesus said: My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to complete his work.

34. Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.

35. Do you not have a saying: Four months and then the harvest? Well, I tell you, look around you, look at the fields; already they are white, ready for harvest!

35. Do you not say, `There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest.

36. Already the reaper is being paid his wages, already he is bringing in the grain for eternal life, so that sower and reaper can rejoice together.

36. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.

37. For here the proverb holds true: one sows, another reaps;

37. For here the saying holds true, `One sows and another reaps.'

38. I sent you to reap a harvest you have not laboured for. Others have laboured for it; and you have come into the rewards of their labour.

38. I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

39. Many Samaritans of that town believed in him on the strength of the woman's words of testimony, 'He told me everything I have done.'

39. Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did."

40. So, when the Samaritans came up to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed for two days, and

40. So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.

41. many more came to believe on the strength of the words he spoke to them;

41. And many more believed because of his word.

42. and they said to the woman, 'Now we believe no longer because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he is indeed the Saviour of the world.'

42. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

43. When the two days were over Jesus left for Galilee.

43. After the two days he departed to Galilee.

44. He himself had declared that a prophet is not honoured in his own home town.

44. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.

45. On his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended.

45. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast.

46. He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum;

46. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Caper'na-um there was an official whose son was ill.

47. hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son, as he was at the point of death.

47. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

48. Jesus said to him, 'Unless you see signs and portents you will not believe!'

48. Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."

49. 'Sir,' answered the official, 'come down before my child dies.'

49. The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

50. 'Go home,' said Jesus, 'your son will live.' The man believed what Jesus had said and went on his way home;

50. Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.

51. and while he was still on the way his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive.

51. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living.

52. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. They replied, 'The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.'

52. So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."

53. The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, 'Your son will live'; and he and all his household believed.

53. The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live"; and he himself believed, and all his household.

54. This new sign, the second, Jesus performed on his return from Judaea to Galilee.

54. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.