John 2-4

Amplified Bible

Miracle at Cana

2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; ² and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was all gone, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “^[a]They have no more wine.” ⁴ Jesus said to her, “[Dear] woman, ^[b]what is that to you and to Me? My time [to act and to be revealed] has not yet come.”^{(A) 5} His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” ⁶ Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification (ceremonial washing), containing twenty or thirty gallons each. ⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ Then He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter [of the banquet].” So they took it to him. ⁹ And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had turned into wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew) he called the bridegroom, ¹⁰ and said to him, “Everyone else serves his best wine first, and when people have ^[c]drunk freely, then he serves that which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now.” ¹¹ This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah—they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him].^(B)

¹² After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

First Passover—Cleansing the Temple

¹³ Now the Passover of the Jews was approaching, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And in the temple [enclosure] He found the ^[d]people who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at their tables.^{(C) 15} He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; ¹⁶ then to those who sold the doves He said, “Take these things away! Stop making My Father’s house a place of commerce!”^{(D) 17} His disciples remembered that it is written [in the Scriptures], “Zeal (love, concern) for Your house [and its honor] will consume Me.”^{(E) 18} Then the Jews retorted, “What sign (attesting miracle) can You show us as [proof of] your authority for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ Then the Jews replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and You will raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But He was speaking of the temple which was His body. ²² So when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered what He had said. And they believed and trusted in and relied on the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.^(F)

²³ Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in His name [identifying themselves with Him] after seeing His signs (attesting miracles) which He was doing. ²⁴ But Jesus, for His part, did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people [and understood the ^[e]superficiality and fickleness of human nature], ²⁵ and He did not need anyone to testify concerning man [and human nature], for He Himself knew what was in man [in their hearts—in the very core of their being].^(G)

The New Birth

3 Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (member of the Sanhedrin) among the Jews, ² who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), we know [without any doubt] that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs [these wonders, these attesting miracles] that You do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.^{(H) 6} That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be possible?” ¹⁰ Jesus replied, “You are the [great and well-known] teacher of Israel, and yet you do not know nor understand these things [from Scripture]? ¹¹ I assure you and most solemnly say to you, we speak only of what we [absolutely] know and testify about what we have [actually] seen [as eyewitnesses]; and [still] you [reject our evidence and] do not accept our testimony. ¹² If I told you earthly things [that is, things that happen right here on earth] and you do not believe, how will you believe and trust Me if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has gone up into heaven, but there is One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man [Himself—whose home is in heaven]. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross],^{(I) 15} so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever].

¹⁶ “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] ^[f]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because ^[g]he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him]. ¹⁹ This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the ^[h]darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.^{(J) 20} For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. ²¹ But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him].”

John’s Last Testimony

²² After these things Jesus and His disciples went into the land of Judea, and there He spent time with them and baptized.^{(K) 23} Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there; and people were coming and were being baptized— ²⁴ for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵ Therefore there arose a controversy between John’s disciples and a Jew in regard to ^[i]purification (ceremonial washing). ²⁶ So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi (Teacher), the Man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan [at the Jordan River crossing]—and to whom you have testified—look, He is baptizing too, and everyone is going to Him!” ²⁷ John replied, “A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing at all] unless it has been granted to him from heaven [for there is no other source than the sovereign will of God]. ²⁸ You yourselves are my witnesses that I stated, ‘I am not the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ but, ‘I have [only] been sent ahead of Him [as His appointed forerunner and messenger to announce and proclaim His coming].’^{(L) 29} He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this pleasure and joy of mine is now complete.^{(M) 30} He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.^(N)

³¹ “He who comes from [heaven] above is above all others; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks [about things] of the earth [his viewpoint and experience are earthly]. He who comes from heaven is above all. ³² What He has [actually] seen and heard, of that He testifies; and yet no one accepts His testimony [as true]. ³³ Whoever receives His testimony has set his seal [of approval] to this: God is true [and he knows that God cannot lie]. ³⁴ For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaiming the Father’s own message]; for God gives the [gift of the] Spirit without measure [generously and boundlessly]!^{(O) 35} The Father loves the Son and has given and entrusted all things into His hand.^{(P) 36} He who believes and trusts in the Son and accepts Him [as Savior] has eternal life [that is, already possesses it]; but he who does not believe the Son and chooses to reject Him, [disobeying Him and denying Him as Savior] will not see [eternal] life, but [instead] the wrath of God hangs over him continually.”^(Q)

Jesus Goes to Galilee

4 So when the Lord learned that the Pharisees had been told that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John ² (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), ³ He left Judea and returned again to Galilee. ⁴ Now ^[j]He had to go through ^[k]Samaria. ⁵ So He arrived at a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the tract of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; ⁶ and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, tired as He was from His journey, sat down by the well. It was then about the sixth hour (noon).

The Samaritan Woman

⁷ Then a woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink”— ⁸ For His disciples had gone off into the city to buy food— ⁹ The Samaritan woman asked Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me, a ^[l]Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew [about] God’s gift [of eternal life], and who it is who says, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him [instead], and He would have given you living water (eternal life).” ¹¹ She said to Him, “Sir, ^[m]You have nothing to draw with [no bucket and rope] and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? ¹² Are You greater than our father ^[n]Jacob, who gave us the well, and who used to drink from it himself, and his sons and his cattle also?” ¹³ Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. ¹⁴ But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life.”

¹⁵ The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not get thirsty nor [have to continually] come all the way here to draw.” ¹⁶ At this, Jesus said, “Go, call your husband and come back.” ¹⁷ The woman answered, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I do not have a husband’; ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not your ^[o]husband. You have said this truthfully.” ¹⁹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, I see that You are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one ought to worship is in Jerusalem [at the temple].” ²¹ Jesus replied, “Woman, believe Me, a time is coming [when God’s kingdom comes] when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You [Samaritans] do not know what you worship; we [Jews] do know what we worship, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. ²⁴ God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵ The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ—the Anointed); when that One comes, He will tell us everything [we need to know].” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you, am He (the Messiah).”

²⁷ Just then His disciples came, and they were surprised to find Him talking with a woman. However, no one said, “What are You asking about?” or, “Why are You talking to her?” ²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar, and went into the city and began telling the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done! Can this be the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)?” ³⁰ So the people left the city and were coming to Him.

³¹ Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus [to have a meal], saying, “Rabbi (Teacher), eat.” ³² But He told them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³ So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him something to eat?” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to completely finish His work. ³⁵ Do you not say, ‘It is still four months until the harvest comes?’ Look, I say to you, raise your eyes and look at the fields and see, they are white for harvest. ³⁶ Already the reaper is receiving his wages and he is gathering fruit for eternal life; so that he who plants and he who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true, ‘One [person] sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap [a crop] for which you have not worked. Others have worked and you have been privileged to reap the results of their work.”

The Samaritans

³⁹ Now many Samaritans from that city believed in Him and trusted Him [as Savior] because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked Him to remain with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more believed in Him [with a deep, abiding trust] because of His word [His personal message to them]; ⁴² and they told the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; for [now] we have heard Him for ourselves and know [with confident assurance] that this One is truly the Savior of [all] the world.”

⁴³ After the two days He went on from there into Galilee. ⁴⁴ For Jesus Himself declared that a prophet has no honor in his own country. ⁴⁵ So when He arrived in Galilee, the Galileans ^[p]welcomed Him, since they had seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they too came to the feast.

Healing a Nobleman’s Son

⁴⁶ So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a ^[q]certain royal official whose son was sick in Capernaum. ⁴⁷ Having heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he ^[r]went to meet Him and began asking Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you [people] see [miraculous] signs and wonders, you [simply] will not believe.” ⁴⁹ The royal official pleaded with Him, “Sir, do come down [at once] before my child dies!” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives!” The man believed what Jesus said to him and started home. ⁵¹ As he was already going down [the road], his servants met him and reported that his son was living [and was healthy]. ⁵² So he asked them at what time he began to get better. They said, “Yesterday during the seventh hour the fever left him.” ⁵³ Then the father realized that it was at that very hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son lives”; and he and his entire household believed and confidently trusted [in Him as Savior]. ⁵⁴ This is the second sign (attesting miracle) that Jesus performed [in Cana] after He had come from Judea to Galilee [revealing that He is the Messiah].