1The Pharisees were aware that more people were becoming disciples of Jesus than of John, for more were being baptised through faith in Him.2Jesus Himself did not immerse them; He gave that responsibility to His disciples.Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman3When the Lord heard about the unrest among the Pharisees, He left Judea and returned to Galilee.4To do this He had to pass through Samaria.5He came to a town there known as Sychar, which was near to the area of land given by Jacob to his son Joseph.6Jesus was tired from His journey and sat down by Jacob's well that was in that place. It was about noon.7A Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well, an unusual thing to do at that time of day. Jesus spoke to her and asked: "Please give Me a drink."8(Jesus was alone as His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)9The Samaritan woman was surprised and replied: "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can You ask me to give You a drink?" (For Jews will normally have nothing to do with Samaritans, and it was most unusual for a man to address a strange woman in public.)10Jesus answered: "If you only understood who it is that is asking you for a drink and the gift that God wants to give you, then you would have asked Me and I would have given you living water."11"Sir, You have no jar with which to draw water from the well, and it is deep," the woman said. "Where can You obtain this living water?12Are You someone even greater than our father Jacob who gave us this well? Jacob drank from this well himself as did his sons, his flocks and herds."13"Anyone who drinks the water from this well will only become thirsty again," Jesus answered.14"However, whoever drinks of the water I will give him, will never thirst again, for the water will become a spring of water within him, a fountain of eternal life."15"Sir, give me that kind of water," the woman said to Jesus, "then I won't keep getting thirsty and have to return to this well every day to draw water."16Jesus said to her: "Go and return with your husband."17"I have no husband," she replied. "You are correct in saying you have no husband," Jesus said.18"The truth is that you have already had five husbands and the man you are now living with is not your husband. Yes, what you have said is right."19-20"Sir, it is obvious that You are a prophet," the woman replied. Then she tried to change the subject: "Our fathers worshipped here on this mountain, but you Jews say that we must go to Jerusalem to worship."21Jesus told her: "Dear woman, believe what I say to you. There will come a time when you will neither worship the Father here nor in Jerusalem.22You Samaritans do not know the One you worship. We do know Him; so salvation has to come from the Jews.23A time is coming, in fact it has already come, when those who worship in a true way will worship the Father in the power of His Spirit and in the truth of His Word. These are the kind of worshippers that the Father wants.24God is Spirit. This is why those who worship Him must do so in Spirit and truth."25The woman replied: "I don't understand everything, but I do know that the Messiah is coming and when He does, then He will explain everything to us."26"He is speaking to you right now," Jesus told her.
Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE TRUTH VERSION. Copyright © 2009 by Colin Urquhart. All rights reserved worldwide. (The Truth New Testament)