John 4:1–26

Jesus Talks With a Woman From Samaria

4 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was winning and baptizing more disciples than John. 2But in fact Jesus was not baptizing. His disciples were. 3When the Lord found out about all this, he left Judea. He went back to Galilee again.

4Jesus had to go through Samaria. 5He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar. It was near the piece of land Jacob had given his son Joseph. 6Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from the journey. So he sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7A woman from Samaria came to get some water. Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

9The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew. I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” She said this because Jews don’t have anything to do with Samaritans.

10Jesus answered her, “You do not know what God’s gift is. And you do not know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would have asked him. He would have given you living water.”

11“Sir,” the woman said, “you don’t have anything to get water with. The well is deep. Where can you get this living water?

12“Our father Jacob gave us the well. He drank from it himself. So did his sons and his flocks and herds. Are you more important than he is?”

13Jesus answered, “All who drink this water will be thirsty again. 14But anyone who drinks the water I give him will never be thirsty. In fact, the water I give him will become a spring of water in him. It will flow up into eternal life.”

15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty. And I won’t have to keep coming here to get water.”

16He told her, “Go. Get your husband and come back.”

17“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands. And the man you have now is not your husband. What you have just said is very true.”

19“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our people have worshiped on this mountain for a long time. But you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21Jesus said, “Believe me, woman. A time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know. Salvation comes from the Jews.

23“But a new time is coming. In fact, it is already here. True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. They are the kind of worshipers the Father is looking for.

24“God is spirit. His worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

25The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming.” (He is called Christ.) “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26Then Jesus said, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”