John 4:4-17

⁴He knew that God wanted him to travel through Samaria district.

⁵So we arrived at a town named Sychar in Samaria district. That was near the plot of ground that our ancestor Jacob had given to his son Joseph long ago.

⁶The well that used to belong to Jacob was on that plot of ground. Jesus was tired from walking. So while we disciples went into the town to buy some food, he sat down alongside the well. It was about noontime. A woman who lived there in Samaria came to get some water from the well. Jesus said to her, “Will you give me from the well some water to drink?” The woman knew that Jews did not like ◄ to touch things that belong to Samaritans/ to come near Samaritans►, (OR, Jews did not like to associate with Samaritans,)

⁹so the woman said to him, “You are a Jew, and I am from Samaria. Furthermore, I am a woman. So ◄ I am surprised that you are asking me for a drink of water!/how is it that you are asking me for a drink of water?► RHQ”

¹⁰Jesus replied to her, “If you (sg) knew what God wanted to give you, and if you knew who I am, the one who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked me, and I would have given you water that gives life.”

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.