John 6
Worldwide English (New Testament)
6 Then Jesus crossed over the sea of Galilee. (Another name for this sea was Tiberias.)
2 Many people followed him because they saw the big works he had done in healing the sick people.
3 Jesus went up on a hill and sat down with his disciples.
4 The time for the Passover Feast of the Jews was near.
5 When Jesus looked up, he saw many people coming to him. He said to Philip, `Where shall we buy food for these people to eat?'
6 Jesus knew what he himself would do, but he said this to see what Philip would do.
7 Philip answered him, `It would take nearly a year's wages to buy enough food for them, even if each one gets only a little.'
8 One of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, talked to Jesus.
9 He said, `A boy here has five loaves of bread and two small fish. But what can that little bit of food do for so many people?'
10 Jesus said, `Tell the people to sit down.' Much grass was there. The number of men who sat down was about five thousand.
11 Then Jesus took the bread and thanked God for it. He gave it to the disciples and they divided it among those who were sitting. He did the same thing with the fish. The people had all they wanted.
12 When they had eaten enough, he said to his disciples, `Gather up all the pieces that are left so that nothing will be lost.'
13 They gathered all the pieces of the five loaves. Twelve baskets full were left over after all the people had eaten enough.
14 When those men saw the big work that Jesus did, they said, `Truly, this is the Prophet that is to come into the world.'
15 The people wanted to take Jesus by force to make him a king. When he saw this, he left again and went on the hill by himself.
16 In the evening his disciples went down to the lake [called the sea of Galilee].
17 They got in a boat and crossed over the sea toward the town of Capernaum. It was dark, but Jesus had not come back to them.
18 A strong wind was blowing. It made the water very rough.
19 They rowed the boat into the middle of the lake. Then they saw Jesus walking on the water. He came close to the boat. They were afraid.
20 But Jesus said to them, `It is I. Do not fear.'
21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat. Then at once the boat reached the land to which they were going.
22 The people who stayed back on the land had seen one boat only. They had seen the disciples get in it and go away without Jesus.
23 But there were some other boats from Tiberias. It was near the place where they had eaten bread, after the Lord had thanked God for it.
24 The next day the people saw that Jesus and his disciples were not there. Then they went to Capernaum in boats to look for Jesus.
25 When they found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they said, `Teacher, when did you get here?'
26 Jesus said, `I tell you the truth. You do not want me because you saw the big works I did, but you want me because you ate all the bread you wanted.
27 Do not work for the food that spoils, but work for the food that will never spoil, the food that will give you life for ever. The Son of Man will give you that food. God my Father has chosen him to do that.'
28 They asked him, `What works does God ask us to do?'
29 Jesus answered them, `The work that God asks you to do is to believe in the one whom he has sent.'
30 They said, `What big work will you do? We want to see it and believe you. What work are you are going to do?
31-32 ur fathers ate bread in the wilderness. The holy writings say, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat." ' Jesus said to them, `I tell you the truth. It was not Moses who gave you that bread from heaven. But my Father gives you true bread from heaven.
33 He who comes down from heaven is the bread that God gives. He is the one who gives life to the world.'
34 They said to him, `Lord, give us this bread always!'
35 Jesus said, `I am the bread that gives life. Anyone who comes to me will never be hungry. Anyone who believes in me will never be thirsty.
36 But I said to you that you have seen me, and yet you will not believe in me.
37 All those whom my Father gives me, they will come to me. I will never turn anyone away who comes to me.
38 I did not come down from heaven to do what I myself want to do. I came to do what the one who sent me wants me to do.
39 My Father sent me. He wants me to lose nothing that he has given me. And he wants me to raise it up on the last day.
40 My Father wants everyone who sees his Son and believes in him to live for ever. I will raise him up on the last day.'
41 The leaders of the Jews did not like Jesus to say, `I am the bread that has come down from heaven.'
42 They said, `Is he not Joseph's son, Jesus? We know his father and mother. How can he say, "I have come down from heaven"?'
43 Jesus answered them, `There is no need for you to talk against me to each other.
44 No one can come to me if my Father does not draw him. He sent me. I myself will raise up the one who comes to me. I will bring him back to life on the last day.
45 The prophets wrote, "God will teach all people." So then, every person who listens to his words and learns what he says, he will come to me.
46 `But no person has seen my Father. The only one who has seen him is the one who comes from God. He has seen my Father.
47 I tell you the truth. The person who believes in me will live for ever.
48 I am the bread that gives life.
49 Your fathers ate bread in the desert long ago, but they died.
50 Here is bread that comes down from heaven. The person who eats this bread will never die.
51 I am the bread that gives life. I came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live for ever. I will give bread so that the world may live. I am that bread.'
52 The leaders of the Jews began to quarrel with each other about what Jesus said. They said, `How can he give us himself to eat?'
53 Jesus said, `I tell you the truth. If you do not eat the Son of Man and do not drink his blood, you will not have life.
54 Anyone who eats me and drinks my blood will live for ever. I will raise him up at the last day.
55 I am real food, and my blood is real drink.
56 Anyone who eats me and drinks my blood is in me and I in him.
57 My Father is living. He sent me. I have my life from him. In the same way, the person who eats of me will live because of me.
58 This bread which came down from heaven is not like the bread that your fathers ate. They ate bread but they died. Anyone who eats this bread from heaven will live for ever.'
59 Jesus was in the meeting house in Capernaum when he was teaching people these things.
60 Many of his disciples heard it. They said, `This is a hard teaching. Who can listen to it?'
61 But Jesus knew that his disciples did not like what he said. He asked, `Is this hard for you?
62 What would you do if you saw the Son of Man go up to the place where he came from?
63 It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh does not help. The words I say to you are Spirit and life.
64 But even so, some of you do not believe me.' Jesus knew right from the beginning which ones of them would not believe. He knew who was going to give him over to people who hated him.
65 Then Jesus said, `That is why I said to you, "No one can come to me unless my Father lets him come." '
66 After that, many of the followers of Jesus left him and stopped travelling around with him.
67 Jesus said to the twelve disciples, `Will you also leave me?'
68 Simon Peter answered, `Lord, to whom shall we go? It is you who has told us how we may live for ever.
69 We believe now, and we know it is true. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
70 Jesus said to them, `Did I not choose you twelve? And one of you is a devil!'
71 Jesus was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was the one who was going to give him over to people who hated him. Judas was one of these twelve disciples.
John 6
New King James Version
Feeding the Five Thousand(A)
6 After (B)these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of (C)Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were (D)diseased.[a] 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 (E)Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 (F)Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to (G)Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, (H)“Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8 One of His disciples, (I)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, (J)but what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them [b]to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly (K)the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Jesus Walks on the Sea(L)
15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him (M)king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
16 (N)Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about [c]three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were (O)afraid. 20 But He said to them, (P)“It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
The Bread from Heaven
22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except [d]that one [e]which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— 23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks— 24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, (Q)seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 (R)Do not labor for the food which perishes, but (S)for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, (T)because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, (U)“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
30 Therefore they said to Him, (V)“What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 (W)Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, (X)‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but (Y)My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 (Z)Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
35 And Jesus said to them, (AA)“I am the bread of life. (AB)He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never (AC)thirst. 36 (AD)But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet (AE)do not believe. 37 (AF)All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and (AG)the one who comes to Me I will [f]by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, (AH)not to do My own will, (AI)but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, (AJ)that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, (AK)that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Rejected by His Own
41 The Jews then [g]complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” 42 And they said, (AL)“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, [h]“Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 (AM)No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me (AN)draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, (AO)‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ (AP)Therefore everyone who [i]has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 (AQ)Not that anyone has seen the Father, (AR)except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Most assuredly, I say to you, (AS)he who believes [j]in Me has everlasting life. 48 (AT)I am the bread of life. 49 (AU)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 (AV)This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread (AW)which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and (AX)the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
52 The Jews therefore (AY)quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless (AZ)you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 (BA)Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is [k]food indeed, and My blood is [l]drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood (BB)abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 (BC)This is the bread which came down from heaven—not (BD)as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Turn Away
60 (BE)Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a [m]hard saying; who can understand it?”
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples [n]complained about this, He said to them, “Does this [o]offend you? 62 (BF)What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 (BG)It is the Spirit who gives life; the (BH)flesh profits nothing. The (BI)words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But (BJ)there are some of you who do not believe.” For (BK)Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore (BL)I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
66 (BM)From that time many of His disciples went [p]back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have (BN)the words of eternal life. 69 (BO)Also we have come to believe and know that You are the [q]Christ, the Son of the living God.”
70 Jesus answered them, (BP)“Did I not choose you, the twelve, (BQ)and one of you is a devil?” 71 He spoke of (BR)Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would (BS)betray Him, being one of the twelve.
Footnotes
- John 6:2 sick
- John 6:11 NU omits to the disciples, and the disciples
- John 6:19 Lit. 25 or 30 stadia
- John 6:22 NU omits that
- John 6:22 NU omits which His disciples had entered
- John 6:37 certainly not
- John 6:41 grumbled
- John 6:43 Stop grumbling
- John 6:45 M hears and has learned
- John 6:47 NU omits in Me
- John 6:55 NU true food
- John 6:55 NU true drink
- John 6:60 difficult
- John 6:61 grumbled
- John 6:61 make you stumble
- John 6:66 Or away; lit. to the back
- John 6:69 NU Holy One of God.
John 6
Evangelical Heritage Version
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
6 After this, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 A large crowd followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he was performing on those who were sick. 3 Jesus went up on the hillside and sat down there with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 But Jesus was saying this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii[a] worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to have just a little.”
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what is that for so many people?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. There were about five thousand men.
11 Then Jesus took the loaves and, after giving thanks, he distributed pieces to those who were seated. He also did the same with the fish—as much as they wanted.
12 When the people were full, he told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw the miraculous sign Jesus did, they said, “This really is the Prophet who is coming into the world.”
Jesus Walks on Water
15 When Jesus realized that they intended to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 A strong wind started to blow, and the sea became rough.
19 After they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea toward their boat, and they were afraid.
20 But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid!”
21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Bread From Heaven
22 The next day, the crowd that stayed on the other side of the sea noticed that only one boat[b] was there. They also knew that Jesus had not stepped into the boat with his disciples, but they had gone away without him. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came to shore near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord gave thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: You are not looking for me because you saw the miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not continue to work for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 So they said to him, “What should we do to carry out the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”
30 Then they asked him, “So what miraculous sign are you going to do, that we may see it and believe you? What miraculous sign are you going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”[c]
32 Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said to him, “give us this bread all the time!”
35 “I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them. “The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have also seen me, and you do not believe. 37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me, but raise them up on the Last Day. 40 For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life. And I will raise him up on the Last Day.”
41 So the Jews started grumbling about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They asked, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? So how can he say,[d] ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the Last Day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’[e] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 I am not saying that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He is the one who has seen the Father. 47 Amen, Amen, I tell you: The one who believes in me[f] has eternal life.
48 “I am the Bread of Life. 49 Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 At that, the Jews argued among themselves, “How can this man give us his[g] flesh to eat?”
53 So Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the Last Day. 55 For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like your[h] fathers ate and died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 He said these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 When they heard it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching! Who can listen to it?”
61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this cause you to stumble in your faith? 62 What if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh does not help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning those who would not believe and the one who would betray him. 65 He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is given to him by my Father.”
66 After this, many of his disciples turned back and were not walking with him anymore. 67 So Jesus asked the Twelve, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”[i]
70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 He meant Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, because Judas was going to betray Jesus.
Footnotes
- John 6:7 Or two hundred days’ wages. A denarius was worth about one day’s wage.
- John 6:22 Some witnesses to the text add which his disciples entered.
- John 6:31 Psalm 78:24
- John 6:42 Some witnesses to the text read How can he now say.
- John 6:45 Isaiah 54:13
- John 6:47 A few witnesses to the text omit in me.
- John 6:52 Some witnesses to the text omit his.
- John 6:58 Some witnesses to the text read the manna before your.
- John 6:69 Some witnesses to the text read the same as Matthew 16:16, replacing Holy One of God with Christ, the Son of the living God.
© 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998 by SOON Educational Publications
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.