John

When therefore the LORD knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

1The Pharisees, a strict religious group, heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more followers than John. Jesus knew they had heard this.

2(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

2(Jesus himself was not the one baptizing. His followers were doing it.)

3He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

3So he left the region of Judea and went back to Galilee.

4And he must needs go through Samaria.

4On the way he had to pass through Samaria.

5Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

5He came to a Samaritan town called Sychar. It was near the piece of land Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

6Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

6Jacob's well was there. Jesus was tired from walking, so he sat down by the well. It was about noon.

Note"The sixth hour" counted from sunrise, so it means about noon, the hottest part of the day.

7There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

7A Samaritan woman came to get water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

8(His followers had gone into the town to buy food.)

NoteIn 1611 English, "meat" meant food of any kind, not just meat from animals. The same goes for verses 32 and 34.

9Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

9The woman said, "You are a Jew. Why ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" Jews and Samaritans did not mix.

10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

10Jesus answered, "If you knew God's gift, and who is asking you for a drink, you would ask him. He would give you living water."

11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

11The woman said, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. So where will you get this living water?

12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

12Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us this well and drank from it, and so did his sons and his animals."

13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again.

14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

14But whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give becomes a spring inside them, welling up to eternal life."

15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

15The woman said, "Sir, give me this water. Then I will not be thirsty, and I will not have to keep coming here."

16Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

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

17The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

17"I have no husband," she answered. Jesus said, "You are right to say you have no husband.

18For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

18You have had five husbands, and the man you are with now is not your husband. What you said is true."

19The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

19The woman said, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet, a person who speaks for God.

20Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

20Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews say the place to worship is in Jerusalem."

21Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

21Jesus said, "Believe me, woman. A time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.

22Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

22You worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because rescue comes through the Jews.

23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

23But a time is coming, and is already here, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father wants worshippers like that.

24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

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

25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

25The woman said, "I know the Messiah is coming, the one called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

26Jesus said to her, "I am he. I am the one speaking to you."

27And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

27Just then his followers came back. They were surprised he was talking with a woman, but no one asked him why.

28The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

28The woman left her water jar there, went into the town, and said to the people,

29Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

29"Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

30Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

30So they left the town and started out to see him.

31In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

31Meanwhile his followers kept urging him, "Teacher, eat something."

32But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

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

33Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

33So his followers said to each other, "Could someone have brought him something to eat?"

34Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

34Jesus said, "My food is to do what the One who sent me wants, and to finish his work.

35Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

35You say the harvest is still four months away. But look around at the fields. They are already ripe and ready to be cut.

36And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

36The worker who brings in the harvest is paid, and gathers a crop for eternal life. Then the planter and the harvester are glad together.

37And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

37Here the old saying is true: one person plants and another brings in the crop.

38I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

38I sent you to harvest a field you did not work. Others did the hard work, and you get the good of it."

39And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

39Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because the woman said, "He told me everything I ever did."

40So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

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

41And many more believed because of his own word;

41Many more believed because of what he himself said.

42And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

42They told the woman, "Now we believe, and not just because of what you said. We have heard him ourselves. We know he really is the Savior of the world."

43Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

43After the two days, Jesus left that place and went to Galilee.

44For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

44Jesus himself had said that a prophet gets no respect in his own home region.

45Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

45Yet when he came to Galilee, the people there welcomed him. They had been at the festival in Jerusalem and had seen everything he did.

46So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

46So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned water into wine. A royal official there had a son who was sick in Capernaum.

47When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

47The man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee. He went to Jesus and begged him to come and heal his son, who was dying.

48Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

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

49The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

49The official said, "Sir, please come down before my little boy dies."

50Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.

50Jesus told him, "Go home. Your son will live." The man believed what Jesus said, and he left.

51And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

51While he was still on the road, his servants met him with news. They said, "Your son is alive."

52Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.

52He asked them what time the boy began to get better. They said, "The fever left him yesterday about one in the afternoon."

Note"The seventh hour" counted from sunrise, so it means about one in the afternoon.

53So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.

53The father realized that was the very hour Jesus had said, "Your son will live." So he believed, and everyone in his house believed.

54This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

54This was the second miracle Jesus did after coming from Judea into Galilee.