Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 After this ^(A)Jesus went away to the other side of ^(B)the Sea of Galilee, which is ^(C)the Sea of Tiberias. ² And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. ³ Jesus went up on ^(D)the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. ⁴ Now ^(E)the Passover, the ^(F)feast of the Jews, was at hand. ^5 (G)Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to ^(H)Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” ⁶ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. ^7 (I)Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii^[a] worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” ⁸ One of his disciples, ^(J)Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, ⁹ “There is a boy here who has five ^(K)barley loaves and two fish, but ^(L)what are they for so many?” ¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” ^(M)Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, and ^(N)when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹² And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” ¹³ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. ¹⁴ When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ^(O)“This is indeed ^(P)the Prophet ^(Q)who is to come into the world!”

^15 (R)Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus ^(S)withdrew again to ^(T)the mountain by himself.

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, ^(A)“Rabbi, when did you come here?” ²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(B)you are seeking me, not because you saw ^(C)signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ^27 (D)Do not work for the food that perishes, but for ^(E)the food that endures to eternal life, which ^(F)the Son of Man will give to you. For on ^(G)him God the Father has ^(H)set his seal.” ²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing ^(I)the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, ^(J)that you believe in him whom ^(K)he has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to him, ^(L)“Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? ^31 (M)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ^(N)‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” ³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is ^(O)he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ They said to him, ^(P)“Sir, give us this bread always.”

³⁵ Jesus said to them, ^(Q)“I am the bread of life; ^(R)whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

^48 (A)I am the bread of life. ^49 (B)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and ^(C)they died. ^50 (D)This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it ^(E)and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread ^(F)that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give ^(G)for the life of the world is ^(H)my flesh.”