John 4

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

1The Pharisees were teachers who cared very much about God's rules. They heard that more people were following Jesus than John. More people were being baptized by Jesus too. Jesus knew they had heard this.

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

2Really, Jesus himself did not baptize anyone. His followers did the baptizing. Baptizing means washing someone in water to show they are turning to God.

3He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

3So Jesus left the land of Judea. He went back to the land of Galilee.

4And he must needs go through Samaria.

4On the way he had to go through a place called 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 town in Samaria called Sychar. It was near the piece of land Jacob once gave 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.

NoteIn Bible times, people counted hours from sunrise. The "sixth hour" means about noon.

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

7A woman from Samaria came to get water. Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink."

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

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

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, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why would you ask me for a drink?" Jews and Samaritans did not share things with each other.

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 said, "You do not know what God wants to give you. You do not know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would ask me. And I 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. 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?

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

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.

14"But whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. My water becomes a spring inside that person. It bubbles up and gives life that never ends."

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 that water. Then I will not be thirsty. I will not have to keep coming here."

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

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

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

17The woman said, "I have no husband." Jesus said, "You are right to say that."

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

18"You have had five husbands. And the man you live with now is not your husband. You told me the truth."

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

19The woman said, "Sir, I can see you are a prophet. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says."

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

20"Our fathers worshiped God on this mountain. But you Jews say people must worship 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." The Father means God.

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

22"You worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know. God's saving help 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.

23"A time is coming, and it is already here. True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Those are the worshipers the Father is looking for."

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

24"God is Spirit. So people 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. Messiah is also called Christ, the one God promised to send. When he comes, he will tell us everything."

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

26Jesus said to her, "I am he. I am the one talking with you right now."

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 what he wanted or why he was talking with her.

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. She went back 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 he be the Christ?"

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

30So the people left the town and started out to see Jesus.

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

31While this was happening, his followers said, "Teacher, please eat something."

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

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

NoteIn the King James Bible, the word "meat" means food of any kind, not just meat from animals.

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

33So the followers asked each other, "Did someone bring 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 God who sent me wants. My food is 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.

35"You say the harvest is still four months away. But look at the fields. They are ripe and ready to be gathered right now."

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

36"The worker who gathers the crop gets paid. The crop he gathers gives life that never ends. Then the planter and the gatherer are glad together."

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

37"So this saying is true here: one person plants, and another person gathers."

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

38"I sent you to gather a crop you did not work for. Other people did the hard work. Now you share in what they did."

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 in that town believed in Jesus. They believed 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.

40The Samaritans came to Jesus and asked him to stay with them. So he stayed there two days.

41And many more believed because of his own word;

41Many more people believed because of what Jesus 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. It is not only 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 those 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 is not honored in his own hometown.

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.

45The people of Galilee welcomed him when he came. They had gone to the big holiday in Jerusalem too. They had seen everything he did there.

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.

46Jesus came again to Cana in Galilee, where he turned water into wine. A man who worked for the king was there. His son was sick in the town of 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 and begged Jesus to come and heal his son. The boy was very close to dying.

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

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

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

49The king's man said, "Sir, please come 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 said, "Go home. Your son will live." The man believed what Jesus said, and he went home.

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. They told him, "Your son is alive and well."

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 when the boy started to get better. They said, "The fever left him yesterday at one in the afternoon."

NoteThe "seventh hour" 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 knew that was the very hour Jesus said, "Your son will live." So he believed, and so did everyone in his house.

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

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