John 4:1-26

New Life Version

A Woman of Samaria at the Well

4 Jesus knew the proud religious law-keepers had heard He was making and baptizing more followers than John. ² Jesus did not baptize anyone Himself but His followers did. ³ Then Jesus went from the country of Judea to the country of Galilee. ⁴ He had to go through the country of Samaria. ⁵ So He came to a town in Samaria called Sycar. It was near the piece of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from traveling so He sat down just as He was by the well. It was about noon.

⁷ A woman of Samaria came to get water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸ His followers had gone to the town to buy food. ⁹ The woman of Samaria said to Him, “You are a Jew. I am of Samaria. Why do You ask me for a drink when the Jews have nothing to do with the people of Samaria?”

¹⁰ Jesus said to her, “You do not know what God has to give. You do not know Who said to you, ‘Give Me a drink.’ If you knew, you would have asked Him. He would have given you living water.” ¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, the well is deep. You have nothing to get water with. Where will You get the living water? ¹² Are You greater than our early father Jacob? He gave us the well. He and his children and his cattle drank from it.”

Jesus Tells of the Living Water

¹³ Jesus said to her, “Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again. ¹⁴ Whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty. The water that I will give him will become in him a well of life that lasts forever.”

¹⁵ The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I will never be thirsty. Then I will not have to come all this way for water.”

The True Kind of Worship

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” ¹⁷ The woman said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said, “You told the truth when you said, ‘I have no husband.’ ¹⁸ You have had five husbands. The one you have now is not your husband. You told the truth.”

¹⁹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, I think You are a person Who speaks for God. ²⁰ Our early fathers worshiped on this mountain. You Jews say Jerusalem is the place where men should worship.”

²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me. The time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. ²² You people do not know what you worship. We Jews know what we worship. It is through the Jews that men are saved from the punishment of their sins. ²³ The time is coming, yes, it is here now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father wants that kind of worshipers. ²⁴ God is Spirit. Those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

Jesus Is the One the Jews Are Looking For

²⁵ The woman said to Him, “I know the Jews are looking for One Who is coming. He is called the Christ. When He comes, He will tell us everything.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I am the Christ, the One talking with you!”