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John 4
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
John 4
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Jesus Goes To Galilee
4 So when Jesus knew[a] that the Pharisees heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and went again[b] toward Galilee. 4 And He had-to go through Samaria.
On The Way, Jesus Stops At a Well In Samaria
5 So He comes into a city of Samaria being called Sychar, near the place which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now a spring of Jacob was there. So Jesus, having become weary from the journey, was sitting thus[c] at the spring. The hour was about the sixth[d].
He Talks With a Woman At The Well, And Tells Her He Is The Awaited Messiah
7 A woman of Samaria comes to draw water. Jesus says to her, “Give Me water to drink”. 8 For His disciples had gone into the city in order that they might buy food. 9 So the Samaritan woman says to Him, “How is it You, being a Jew, are asking something to drink from me, being a Samaritan woman?” For Jews do not use-things-together-with[e] Samaritans. 10 Jesus responded and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and Who the One saying to you ‘Give Me water to drink’ is— you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water”. 11 The woman says to Him, “Sir, You have no bucket and the well is deep. From where then do You have the living water? 12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and himself drank from it, and his sons, and his animals?” 13 Jesus responded and said to her, “Everyone drinking from this water will thirst again. 14 But whoever should drink from the water which I will give him— he will never thirst, ever. On the contrary, the water which I will give him will become a spring of water in him, bubbling-up to eternal life”. 15 The woman says to Him, “Sir, give me this water in order that I may not be thirsting, nor coming here to draw it”. 16 He says to her, “Go, call your husband and come here”. 17 The woman responded and said to Him, “I do not have a husband”. Jesus says to her, “You said rightly that ‘I do not have a husband’. 18 For you had five husbands. And now he whom you have is not your husband. You have spoken this as a true thing”. 19 The woman says to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this[f] mountain, and you[g] Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem”. 21 Jesus says to her, “Believe Me, woman, that an hour is coming when you[h] Samaritans will give-worship to the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We Jews worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will give-worship to the Father in spirit and truth. For indeed the Father is seeking such ones to be the ones worshiping Him. 24 God is spirit, and the ones worshiping Him must worship in spirit and truth”. 25 The woman says to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming— the One being called Christ. When that One comes, He will declare all things to us”. 26 Jesus says to her, “I, the One speaking to you, am He”.
The Disciples Marvel That He Was Speaking With a Woman
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they were marveling that He was speaking with a woman. Yet no one said, “What are you seeking?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” 28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city. And she says to the people, 29 “Come, see a man Who told me everything that I did. This One is not the Christ, is He?” 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.
Jesus Explains: I Came To Do God’s Will. The Harvest Is Ripe
31 In the meantime the disciples were asking Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat”. 32 But the One said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about”. 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, “Someone did not bring Him something to eat, did he?” 34 Jesus says to them, “My food is that I may do the will of the One having sent Me, and accomplish His work. 35 Do you not say that ‘There are still[i] four months, and the harvest comes’? Behold, I say to you— lift-up your eyes and look-at the fields, that[j] they are white for harvest[k]. Already 36 the one reaping is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal, so that the one sowing and the one reaping may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true, that ‘One is the one sowing and another[l] is the one reaping. 38 I sent you out to be reaping what you have not[m] labored-for. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor”.
Many Samaritans Believe His Message After Hearing His Words
39 And many of the Samaritans from that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman testifying that “He told me everything which I did”. 40 Therefore when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them. And He stayed there for two days. 41 And many more believed because of His word. 42 And they were saying to the woman that “We are no longer believing because of your speaking. For we ourselves have heard, and we know that this One is truly the Savior of the world”. 43 And after the two days, He went forth from there to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet does not have honor in his own homeland.
Arriving In Galilee, a Royal Jew Believes After Jesus Heals His Son
45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him, having seen all that He did in Jerusalem at the Feast. For they also went to the Feast. 46 So He came again to Cana of Galilee, where He made the water wine. And there was a certain royal one whose son was sick in Capernaum. 47 This one, having heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, went to Him, and was asking that He come down and heal his son. For he was about to die. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you[n] people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe”. 49 The royal one says to Him, “Master, come down before my child dies”. 50 Jesus says to him, “Go, your son lives”. The man believed the word which Jesus spoke to him, and was going. 51 Now while he was already going down, his slaves met him, saying that his boy lives. 52 So he inquired from them the hour at which he got better. So they said to him that “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh[o] hour”. 53 Then the father knew that it was at that hour at which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”. And he believed[p], he and his whole household. 54 Now this again was a second[q] sign Jesus did, having come from Judea to Galilee.
Footnotes
- John 4:1 Or, learned.
- John 4:3 Or, back.
- John 4:6 That is, wearied.
- John 4:6 That is, noon Jewish time; or, 6 p.m. Roman time.
- John 4:9 Or, make-use-of-vessels-with; or more broadly, socially-associate-with.
- John 4:20 This well was at the foot of Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans worshiped.
- John 4:20 This word is plural.
- John 4:21 This word is plural.
- John 4:35 That is, do you not expect a delay between sowing and harvesting?
- John 4:35 Or, because.
- John 4:35 white for harvest. Already the one. Or, already white for harvest. The one.
- John 4:37 Jesus and the woman are both reaping. They entered into a harvest prepared by others.
- John 4:38 Jews and those connected with them throughout the world were already prepared for reaping, anticipating the Messiah.
- John 4:48 This word is plural.
- John 4:52 That is, 1 p.m. Jewish time, meaning these slaves met the official that evening after sundown (which begins the next day); or, 7 p.m. Roman time, meaning the official spent the night due to the late hour and met these slaves the next day.
- John 4:53 Note how this proves what Jesus said in v 48, and stands in contrast to v 41-42.
- John 4:54 That is, second in Galilee or Cana; or, second manifesting His glory, due to the special nature of both (see 2:11); or, second of the seven John records in this book.
John 4
New International Version
John 4
New International Version
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John(A)— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea(B) and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria.(C) 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.(D) 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”(E) 8 (His disciples had gone into the town(F) to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan(G) woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”(H)
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well(I) and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.(J) Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water(K) welling up to eternal life.”(L)
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty(M) and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call 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. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.(N) 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,(O) but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”(P)
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming(Q) when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.(R) 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know;(S) we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.(T) 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come(U) when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit(V) and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit,(W) and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ)(X) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”(Y)
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then his disciples returned(Z) and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.(AA) Could this be the Messiah?”(AB) 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi,(AC) eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat(AD) that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will(AE) of him who sent me and to finish his work.(AF) 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.(AG) 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests(AH) a crop for eternal life,(AI) so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’(AJ) is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town(AK) believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”(AL) 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”(AM)
Jesus Heals an Official’s Son
43 After the two days(AN) he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)(AO) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival,(AP) for they also had been there.
46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.(AQ) And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,(AR) he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,”(AS) Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”
53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household(AT) believed.
54 This was the second sign(AU) Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.
Footnotes
- John 4:9 Or do not use dishes Samaritans have used
Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT) 
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.