John 4:11-21

¹¹She thought he was talking about ordinary water. So she said to him, “Sir, you do not have a bucket or a rope with which to get water from the well, and the well is deep. So since you cannot get water from this well, where can you get that life-giving water?

¹²Our ancestor Jacob left us this well. He drank water from it, and there was enough good water so that his sons and his flocks of sheep and goats drank from it also. Do you claim that you are greater than Jacob, and because of that you can give us life-giving water?”

¹³Jesus replied to her, “Everyone who drinks water from this well will later become thirsty again.

¹⁴But those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. On the contrary, the water that I give them will become in their inner beings like a spring of water that will enable them to have eternal life.”

¹⁵The woman did not understand that Jesus was speaking figuratively about something that would sustain her spiritually. So she said to him, “Sir, give me that kind of water so that I will not get thirsty again, and so that I will not have to keep returning here to get water!”

¹⁶Jesus knew that she did not understand, but he wanted to show her by his God-given knowledge of her personal life that because he was the Messiah he could supply her spiritual need. So he said to her, “Woman, go and call your husband, and bring him here!”

¹⁷She replied, “I do not have a husband!” Jesus said to her, “You said that you do not have a husband, and that is true.

¹⁸It is also true that you have had five husbands one by one. And the man you are living with now is not your husband! What you have said is very true.”

¹⁹The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive you must be a prophet because you are able to know people's secrets.

²⁰But let me ask you a different question: Our ancestors worshipped God here on Gerizim mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where we must worship God. So who is right?”

²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me when I say that there will be a time when it will not matter whether you worship God our Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem or somewhere else.