3But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

4Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”

5The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai.*17:6 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

7Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”

Psalm 95

A Call to Praise and Listen to the Lord

1Come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2Let us come to him with thanksgiving.

Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

6Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

7for he is our God.

We are the people he watches over,

the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!

8The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,

as they did at Massah in the wilderness.

9For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,

even though they saw everything I did.

Faith Brings Joy

1Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace*5:1 Some manuscripts read let us have peace. with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

6When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

9The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.*4:9 Some manuscripts do not include this sentence. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

10Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

11“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

13Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

15“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

16“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

17“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—18for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

19“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim,*4:20 Greek on this mountain. where our ancestors worshiped?”

21Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

25The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”*4:26 Or “The ‘I Am’ is here”; or “I am the Lord”; Greek reads “I am, the one speaking to you.” See Exod 3:14.

27Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

31Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”

33“Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.

34Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe*4:35 Greek white. for harvest. 36The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

Many Samaritans Believe

39Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” 40When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. 42Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”