The Gospel According to St. John

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- Chapter 4 -

Nowe when the Lord knew, how the Pharises had heard, that Iesus made and baptized moe disciples then Iohn,

(Though Iesus himselfe baptized not: but his disciples)

Hee left Iudea, and departed againe into Galile.

And he must needes goe through Samaria.

Then came hee to a citie of Samaria called Sychar, neere vnto the possession that Iacob gaue to his sonne Ioseph.

And there was Iacobs well. Iesus then wearied in the iourney, sate thus on the well: it was about the sixt houre.

There came a woman of Samaria to drawe water. Iesus sayd vnto her, Giue me drinke.

For his disciples were gone away into the citie, to buy meate.

Then sayde the woman of Samaria vnto him, Howe is it, that thou being a Iewe, askest drinke of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Iewes meddle not with the Samaritans.

Iesus answered and saide vnto her, If thou knewest that gift of God, and who it is that saieth to thee, Giue mee drinke, thou wouldest haue asked of him, and hee woulde haue giuen thee, water of life.

The woman saide vnto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to drawe with, and the well is deepe: from whence then hast thou that water of life?

Art thou greater then our father Iacob, which gaue vs the well, and hee himselfe dranke thereof, and his sonnes, and his cattell?

Iesus answered, and said vnto her, Whosoeuer drinketh of this water, shall thirst againe:

But whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I shall giue him, shall neuer be more a thirst: but the water that I shall giue him, shalbe in him a well of water, springing vp into euerlasting life.

The woman said vnto him, Syr, giue me of that water, that I may not thirst, neither come hither to drawe.

Iesus said vnto her, Go, call thine husband, and come hither.

The woman answered, and saide, I haue no husband. Iesus said vnto her, Thou hast well said, I haue no husband.

For thou hast had fiue husbands, and he whom thou nowe hast, is not thine husband: that saidest thou truely.

The woman saide vnto him, Sir, I see that thou art a Prophet.

Our fathers worshipped in this mountaine, and ye say, that in Ierusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Iesus saide vnto her, Woman, beleeue me, the houre commeth, when ye shall neither in this mountaine, nor at Hierusalem worship ye Father.

Ye worship that which ye knowe not: we worship that which we knowe: for saluation is of the Iewes.

But the houre commeth, and nowe is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit, and trueth: for the Father requireth euen such to worship him.

God is a Spirite, and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and trueth.

The woman said vnto him, I knowe well that Messias shall come which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell vs all things.

Iesus said vnto her, I am he, that speake vnto thee.

The Disciples Return and Marvel

And vpon that, came his disciples, and marueiled that he talked with a woman: yet no man said vnto him, What askest thou? or why talkest thou with her?

The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the citie, and said to the men,

Come, see a man which hath tolde me all things that euer I did: is not he that Christ?

Then they went out of the citie, and came vnto him.

In the meane while, the disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eate.

But he said vnto them, I haue meate to eate that ye know not of.

Then said ye disciples betweene themselues, Hath any man brought him meate?

Iesus saide vnto them, My meate is that I may doe the will of him that sent me, and finish his worke.

Say not ye, There are yet foure moneths, and then commeth haruest? Beholde, I say vnto you, Lift vp your eyes, and looke on the regions: for they are white alreadie vnto haruest.

And he that reapeth, receiueth rewarde, and gathereth fruite vnto life eternall, that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth, might reioyce together.

For herein is the saying true, that one soweth, and an other reapeth.

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

Many Samaritans Believe

Nowe many of the Samaritans of that citie beleeued in him, for the saying of the woman which testified, He hath tolde me all things that euer I did.

Then when the Samaritans were come vnto him, they besought him, that he woulde tarie with them: and he abode there two dayes.

And many moe beleeued because of his owne word.

And they said vnto the woman, Nowe we beleeue, not because of thy saying: for we haue heard him our selues, and knowe that this is in deede that Christ the Sauiour of the world.

Jesus Heals the Official’s Son

(Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:1–10)

So two dayes after he departed thence, and went into Galile.

For Iesus himselfe had testified, that a Prophet hath none honour in his owne countrey.

Then when he was come into Galile, the Galileans receiued him, which had seene all the things that he did at Hierusalem at the feast: for they went also vnto the feast.

And Iesus came againe into Cana a towne of Galile, where he had made of water, wine. And there was a certaine ruler, whose sonne was sicke at Capernaum.

When he heard that Iesus was come out of Iudea into Galile, he went vnto him, and besought him that he would goe downe, and heale his sonne: for he was euen ready to die.

Then saide Iesus vnto him, Except ye see signes and wonders, ye will not beleeue.

The ruler said vnto him, Syr, goe downe before my sonne dye.

Iesus said vnto him, Go thy way, thy sonne liueth: and the man beleeued the worde that Iesus had spoken vnto him, and went his way.

And as he was nowe going downe, his seruants met him, saying, Thy sonne liueth.

Then enquired he of them the houre when he began to amend. And they said vnto him, Yesterday the seuenth houre the feuer left him.

Then the father knew, that it was the same houre in the which Iesus had said vnto him, Thy sonne liueth. And he beleeued, and all his houshold.

This second miracle did Iesus againe, after he was come out of Iudea into Galile.

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

(although Jesus himself didn’t baptize, but his disciples),

he left Judea and departed into Galilee.

He needed to pass through Samaria.

So he came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.(a)

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

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

The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

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

Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?”

Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again,

but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’

for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.”

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

Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.

But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers.

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

The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming, he who is called Christ.(b) When he has come, he will declare to us all things.”

Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.”

The Disciples Return and Marvel

Just then, his disciples came. They marveled that he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What are you looking for?” or, “Why do you speak with her?”

So the woman left her water pot, went away into the city, and said to the people,

“Come, see a man who told me everything that I have done. Can this be the Christ?”

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

In the meanwhile, the disciples urged him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”

The disciples therefore said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?”

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

Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already.

He who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’

I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Many Samaritans Believe

From that city many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, “He told me everything that I have done.”

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

Many more believed because of his word.

They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of your speaking; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Jesus Heals the Official’s Son

(Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:1–10)

After the two days he went out from there and went into Galilee.

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

So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast.

Jesus came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.

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

Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe.”

The nobleman said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.

As he was going down, his servants met him and reported, saying “Your child lives!”

So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour,(c) the fever left him.”

So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” He believed, as did his whole house.

This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judea into Galilee.

Footnotes

(a)4:6 noon

(b)4:25 “Messiah” (Hebrew) and “Christ” (Greek) both mean “Anointed One”.