Mark 6
Christian Standard Bible
Rejection at Nazareth
6 He(A) left there and came to his hometown,(B) and his disciples(C) followed him. 2 When the Sabbath(D) came, he began to teach(E) in the synagogue,(F) and many who heard him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things?” they said. “What is this wisdom(G) that has been given to him, and how are these miracles(H) performed by his hands? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter,(I) the son of Mary,(J) and the brother of James,(K) Joses, Judas,(L) and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended(M) by him.
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet(N) is not without honor(O) except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.” 5 He was not able to do a miracle(P) there, except that he laid his hands on(Q) a few sick(R) people and healed(S) them. 6 And he was amazed(T) at their unbelief.(U) He was going around the villages teaching.(V)
Commissioning the Twelve
7 He(W) summoned(X) the Twelve(Y) and began to send(Z) them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean(AA) spirits.(AB) 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff—no bread, no traveling bag,(AC) no money in their belts, 9 but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt.(AD) 10 He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. 11 If any place does not welcome(AE) you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet(AF) as a testimony(AG) against them.”[a] 12 So they went out and preached(AH) that people should repent.(AI) 13 They drove out many demons,(AJ) anointed(AK) many sick(AL) people with oil(AM) and healed them.(AN)
John the Baptist Beheaded
14 King(AO) Herod(AP) heard about it, because Jesus’s name(AQ) had become well known. Some[b] said, “John the Baptist(AR) has been raised from the dead,(AS) and that’s why miraculous powers(AT) are at work(AU) in him.” 15 But others said, “He’s Elijah.”(AV) Still others said, “He’s a prophet, like one of the prophets from long ago.”(AW)
16 When Herod(AX) heard of it, he said, “John,(AY) the one I beheaded, has been raised!” (AZ)
17 For(BA) Herod himself had given orders to arrest John and to chain(BB) him in prison on account of Herodias,(BC) his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her.(BD) 18 John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful(BE) for you to have your brother’s wife.”(BF) 19 So Herodias held a grudge against him and wanted to kill(BG) him. But she could not, 20 because Herod feared(BH) John and protected him, knowing he was a righteous(BI) and holy(BJ) man. When Herod heard him he would be very perplexed,[c](BK) and yet he liked to listen to him.(BL)
21 An opportune time came on his birthday, when Herod gave a banquet(BM) for his nobles,(BN) military commanders,(BO) and the leading men of Galilee.(BP) 22 When Herodias’s own daughter[d] came in and danced,(BQ) she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 He promised her with an(BR) oath:(BS) “Whatever you ask me I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”(BT)
24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?”
“John the Baptist’s(BU) head,” she said.
25 At once she hurried to the king and said, “I want you to give me John the Baptist’s(BV) head on a platter(BW) immediately.” 26 Although the king was deeply distressed,(BX) because of his oaths(BY) and the guests[e] he did not want to refuse(BZ) her. 27 The king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring John’s head. So he went and beheaded him in prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When John’s disciples(CA) heard about it, they came and removed his corpse and placed it in a tomb.(CB)
Feeding of the Five Thousand
30 The(CC) apostles(CD) gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
32 So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, 33 but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.[f]
34 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion(CE) on them, because they were like sheep(CF) without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.
35 When it grew late, his disciples(CG) approached him and said, “This place is deserted,(CH) and it is already late. 36 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”
37 “You give them something to eat,” he responded.
They said to him, “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii[g] worth of bread and give them something to eat?”
38 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
When they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he instructed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 Everyone ate and was satisfied.(CI) 43 They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. 44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men.
Walking on the Water
45 Immediately(CJ) he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida,(CK) while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain(CL) to pray.(CM) 47 Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 He saw them straining(CN) at the oars,[h] because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning[i] he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. 49 When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost(CO) and cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.(CP) Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage!(CQ) It is I.(CR) Don’t be afraid.”(CS) 51 Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, 52 because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.(CT)
Miraculous Healings
53 When they had crossed over, they came to shore at Gennesaret(CU) and anchored there.
54 As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized him. 55 They hurried throughout that region and began to carry the sick(CV) on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch just the end(CW) of his robe.(CX) And everyone who touched it was healed.
Footnotes
- 6:11 Other mss add Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom or Gomorrah on judgment day than for that town.
- 6:14 Other mss read He
- 6:20 Other mss read When he heard him, he did many things
- 6:22 Other mss read When his daughter Herodias
- 6:26 Lit and those reclining at the table
- 6:33 Other mss add and gathered around him
- 6:37 A denarius = one day’s wage
- 6:48 Or them being battered as they rowed
- 6:48 Lit Around the fourth watch of the night = 3 to 6 a.m.
Mark 6
New Living Translation
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
6 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” 3 Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary[a] and the brother of James, Joseph,[b] Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples
Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. 7 And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil[c] spirits. 8 He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money.[d] 9 He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes.
10 “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. 11 But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
12 So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. 13 And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.
The Death of John the Baptist
14 Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying,[e] “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles.” 15 Others said, “He’s the prophet Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet like the other great prophets of the past.”
16 When Herod heard about Jesus, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead.”
17 For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip’s wife, but Herod had married her. 18 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, 20 for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.
21 Herodias’s chance finally came on Herod’s birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. 22 Then his daughter, also named Herodias,[f] came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. “Ask me for anything you like,” the king said to the girl, “and I will give it to you.” 23 He even vowed, “I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!”
24 She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?”
Her mother told her, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist!”
25 So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, “I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!”
26 Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn’t refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John’s head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, 28 brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother. 29 When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.
32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”
37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money[g] to buy food for all these people!”
38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”
They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.
41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.[h]
Jesus Walks on Water
45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
47 Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. 48 He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning[i] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 50 They were all terrified when they saw him.
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here![j]” 51 Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, 52 for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.
53 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore 54 and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, 55 and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.
Footnotes
- 6:3a Some manuscripts read He’s just the son of the carpenter and of Mary.
- 6:3b Most manuscripts read Joses; see Matt 13:55.
- 6:7 Greek unclean.
- 6:8 Greek no copper coins in their money belts.
- 6:14 Some manuscripts read He was saying.
- 6:22 Some manuscripts read the daughter of Herodias herself.
- 6:37 Greek It would take 200 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.
- 6:44 Some manuscripts read fed from the loaves.
- 6:48 Greek About the fourth watch of the night.
- 6:50 Or The ‘I am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.
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