New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
John 4
1
The Pharisees heard that Jesus was winning and baptizing more disciples than John.
Reference
Baptism
John 3:26
John 3:22
References Jesus
2 Corinthians 4:5
Acts 10:36
References Lord
1 Corinthians 15:47
1 Corinthians 2:8
2
But in fact Jesus was not baptizing. His disciples were.
Reference
Baptism
Acts 10:48
3
When the Lord found out about all this, he left Judea. He went back to Galilee again.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 10:23
5
He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar. It was near the piece of land Jacob had given his son Joseph.
Reference
📍 Sychar
6
Jacob's well was there. Jesus was tired from the journey. So he sat down by the well. It was about noon.
Reference
7
A woman from Samaria came to get some water. Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"
Reference
8
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
9
The 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.
Reference
10
Jesus 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."
Reference
Parallel theme
John 4:14
Isaiah 44:3
Revelation 21:6
Jeremiah 2:13
Revelation 22:17
Zechariah 14:8
1 Corinthians 10:4
Romans 8:32
References God
Revelation 7:17
John 3:16
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?
Reference
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?"
13
Jesus answered, "All who drink this water will be thirsty again.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 6:27
14
But 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."
Reference
Eternal Life
1 John 5:20
Romans 6:23
Parallel theme
John 6:35
Isaiah 49:10
Revelation 7:16
John 11:26
John 6:58
2 Corinthians 1:22
John 10:10
1 Peter 1:22
15
The 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."
Reference
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 have now is not your husband. What you have just said is very true."
Reference
19
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Kings 5:26
Prophecy
John 6:14
Luke 7:39
John 9:17
Luke 7:16
Matthew 21:11
John 7:40
Luke 24:19
2 Kings 6:12
20
Our people have worshiped on this mountain for a long time. But you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
Reference
21
Jesus said, "Believe me, woman. A time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Timothy 2:8
Malachi 1:11
Ephesians 2:18
Matthew 18:20
John 5:28
John 16:32
John 16:2
Ezekiel 14:3
References Jesus
Ephesians 3:14
Worship
John 4:23
22
You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know. Salvation comes from the Jews.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 2:3
Luke 24:47
Acts 17:30
Psalm 147:19
Hebrews 7:14
Salvation
Psalm 68:20
Isaiah 12:2
Isaiah 46:13
Zechariah 9:9
Worship
Acts 17:23
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.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 5:25
John 12:23
Isaiah 29:13
Spirit
Philippians 3:3
Galatians 4:6
Romans 8:26
Ephesians 6:18
Romans 8:15
Truth
John 1:17
Worship
John 4:21
24
"God is spirit. His worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 16:7
Psalm 66:18
References God
1 Timothy 1:17
2 Corinthians 1:12
Spirit
2 Corinthians 3:17
Philippians 3:3
Psalm 51:17
Isaiah 57:15
Worship
Psalm 50:23
25
The woman said, "I know that Messiah is coming." (He is called Christ.) "When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
Reference
27
Just then Jesus' disciples returned. They were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want from her?" No one asked, "Why are you talking with her?"
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 7:39
30
The people came out of the town and made their way toward Jesus.
31
His disciples were saying to him, "Rabbi, eat something!"
33
Then his disciples asked each other, "Did someone bring him food?"
34
Jesus said, "My food is to do what my Father sent me to do. My food is to finish his work.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 6:38
John 5:30
Job 23:12
John 17:4
Matthew 26:39
John 4:32
John 5:36
Luke 19:10
Psalm 40:8
References Jesus
John 19:30
35
"You say, 'Four months more, and then it will be harvest time.' But I tell you, open your eyes! Look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest right now.
36
Those who gather the crop are already getting paid. They are already harvesting the crop for eternal life. So those who plant and those who gather can now be glad together.
Reference
37
"Here is a true saying. 'One plants and another gathers.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Micah 6:15
38
I sent you to gather what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work. You have gathered the benefits of their work."
Reference
39
Many of the Samaritans from the town of Sychar believed in Jesus. They believed because of the woman's witness. She said, "He told me everything I've ever done."
Reference
40
Then the Samaritans came to him and tried to get him to stay with them. So he stayed two days.
Reference
41
Because of his words, many more people became believers.
Reference
Faith
Acts 8:12
Parallel theme
Acts 1:8
Hebrews 4:13
Acts 15:3
John 7:46
Word
Acts 8:25
John 6:63
Genesis 49:10
Luke 4:32
42
They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said. We have now heard for ourselves. We know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
Reference
Faith
John 17:8
Parallel theme
John 1:29
Luke 2:32
References Christ
1 John 5:20
2 Corinthians 5:19
John 4:29
Salvation
1 John 4:14
Acts 4:12
1 Timothy 4:10
Isaiah 45:22
43
After the two days, Jesus left for Galilee.
45
When he arrived in Galilee, the people living there welcomed him. They had seen everything he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast. That was because they had also been there.
Reference
46
Once more, Jesus visited Cana in Galilee. Cana is where he had turned the water into wine. A royal official was there. His son was sick in bed at Capernaum.
47
The official heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea. So he went to Jesus and begged him to come and heal his son. The boy was close to death.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 4:3
48
Jesus told him, "You people will never believe unless you see miraculous signs and wonders."
Reference
Faith
John 20:29
John 12:37
Parallel theme
Hebrews 2:4
1 Corinthians 1:22
Daniel 4:2
Acts 14:3
Mark 13:22
Romans 15:19
Matthew 24:24
References Jesus
Acts 2:22
49
The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
Reference
Parallel theme
Mark 5:23
50
Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man believed what Jesus said, and so he left.
Reference
51
While he was still on his way home, his servants met him. They gave him the news that his boy was living.
52
He asked what time his son got better. They said to him, "The fever left him yesterday afternoon at one o'clock."
53
Then the father realized what had happened. That was the exact time Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his family became believers.
Reference
54
This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
Chapter Summary
John 4 presents two major encounters that reveal the expanding reach of Jesus' mission: His conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well and His healing of a royal official's son, while showing that Jesus offers spiritual life beyond ethnic, religious, social, and geographic boundaries.
Jesus leaves Judea and travels toward Galilee, passing through Samaria, where He stops near Jacob's well at the town of Sychar.
A Samaritan woman arrives to collect water, and Jesus asks her for a drink.
Their conversation is unusual because Jews and Samaritans had longstanding religious and social tensions, while interactions between unrelated men and women could also be socially sensitive.
Jesus begins speaking about living water, explaining that ordinary water satisfies physical thirst only temporarily, while the water He gives becomes an inner spring leading to eternal life.
The woman initially understands Him literally, but Jesus gradually leads her toward a deeper understanding.
When Jesus reveals that He knows about her complicated personal history, she recognizes Him as a prophet and raises the long-standing dispute between Jews and Samaritans concerning the proper place of worship.
Jesus explains that the coming era will not be defined by worship at Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem, because true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.
When the woman speaks about the coming Messiah, Jesus directly reveals that He is the one she is expecting.
The woman leaves her water jar and returns to the town, telling the people to come and meet a man who knows her life and asking whether He might be the Messiah.
Many Samaritans come to Jesus because of her testimony, and after hearing Jesus themselves, many more believe.
They invite Him to remain with them, and Jesus stays for two days.
Their final confession that Jesus is the Savior of the world is especially important because it demonstrates that His mission is not restricted to one ethnic group or religious community.
Jesus then continues toward Galilee, where He returns to Cana.
There, a royal official from Capernaum approaches Him because his son is seriously ill.
The man asks Jesus to come and heal his child, but Jesus simply tells him to go home because his son will live.
The official believes Jesus' word and leaves.
While he is traveling home, his servants meet him and report that his son has recovered.
When he discovers that the healing occurred at precisely the time Jesus spoke, he believes, and his entire household believes with him.
John identifies this as Jesus' second sign after returning from Judea to Galilee.
The chapter therefore emphasizes that Jesus brings living water, true worship, spiritual renewal, salvation for all peoples, and life through faith in His word, while the Samaritan woman and the royal official demonstrate two very different people who come to trust Jesus and then become connected with others through their testimony.
Jesus leaves Judea and travels toward Galilee, passing through Samaria, where He stops near Jacob's well at the town of Sychar.
A Samaritan woman arrives to collect water, and Jesus asks her for a drink.
Their conversation is unusual because Jews and Samaritans had longstanding religious and social tensions, while interactions between unrelated men and women could also be socially sensitive.
Jesus begins speaking about living water, explaining that ordinary water satisfies physical thirst only temporarily, while the water He gives becomes an inner spring leading to eternal life.
The woman initially understands Him literally, but Jesus gradually leads her toward a deeper understanding.
When Jesus reveals that He knows about her complicated personal history, she recognizes Him as a prophet and raises the long-standing dispute between Jews and Samaritans concerning the proper place of worship.
Jesus explains that the coming era will not be defined by worship at Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem, because true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.
When the woman speaks about the coming Messiah, Jesus directly reveals that He is the one she is expecting.
The woman leaves her water jar and returns to the town, telling the people to come and meet a man who knows her life and asking whether He might be the Messiah.
Many Samaritans come to Jesus because of her testimony, and after hearing Jesus themselves, many more believe.
They invite Him to remain with them, and Jesus stays for two days.
Their final confession that Jesus is the Savior of the world is especially important because it demonstrates that His mission is not restricted to one ethnic group or religious community.
Jesus then continues toward Galilee, where He returns to Cana.
There, a royal official from Capernaum approaches Him because his son is seriously ill.
The man asks Jesus to come and heal his child, but Jesus simply tells him to go home because his son will live.
The official believes Jesus' word and leaves.
While he is traveling home, his servants meet him and report that his son has recovered.
When he discovers that the healing occurred at precisely the time Jesus spoke, he believes, and his entire household believes with him.
John identifies this as Jesus' second sign after returning from Judea to Galilee.
The chapter therefore emphasizes that Jesus brings living water, true worship, spiritual renewal, salvation for all peoples, and life through faith in His word, while the Samaritan woman and the royal official demonstrate two very different people who come to trust Jesus and then become connected with others through their testimony.