The Life of Jesus

there arose then a question from the disciples of John with some Jews about purifying,

and they came unto John, and said to him, `Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou didst testify, lo, this one is baptizing, and all are coming unto him.'

John answered and said, `A man is not able to receive anything, if it may not have been given him from the heaven;

ye yourselves do testify to me that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am having been sent before him;

he who is having the bride is bridegroom, and the friend of the bridegroom, who is standing and hearing him, with joy doth rejoice because of the voice of the bridegroom; this, then, my joy hath been fulfilled.

`Him it behoveth to increase, and me to become less;

he who from above is coming is above all; he who is from the earth, from the earth he is, and from the earth he speaketh; he who from the heaven is coming is above all.

`And what he hath seen and heard this he doth testify, and his testimony none receiveth;

he who is receiving his testimony did seal that God is true;

for he whom God sent, the sayings of God he speaketh; for not by measure doth God give the Spirit;

the Father doth love the Son, and all things hath given into his hand;

he who is believing in the Son, hath life age-during; and he who is not believing the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God doth remain upon him.'

When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees heard that Jesus more disciples doth make and baptize than John,

(though indeed Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples,)

he left Judea and went away again to Galilee,

and it was behoving him to go through Samaria.

He cometh, therefore, to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the place that Jacob gave to Joseph his son;

and there was there a well of Jacob. Jesus therefore having been weary from the journeying, was sitting thus on the well; it was as it were the sixth hour;

there cometh a woman out of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith to her, `Give me to drink;'

for his disciples were gone away to the city, that they may buy victuals;

the Samaritan woman therefore saith to him, `How dost thou, being a Jew, ask drink from me, being a Samaritan woman?' for Jews have no dealing with Samaritans.

Jesus answered and said to her, `If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked him, and he would have given thee living water.'

The woman saith to him, `Sir, thou hast not even a vessel to draw with, and the well is deep; whence, then, hast thou the living water?

Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who did give us the well, and himself out of it did drink, and his sons, and his cattle?'

Jesus answered and said to her, `Every one who is drinking of this water shall thirst again;