Mark 6
English Standard Version
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
6 (A)He went away from there and came to (B)his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And (C)on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and (D)many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 (E)Is not this (F)the carpenter,[a] the son of Mary and (G)brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And (H)they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, (I)“A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And (J)he could do no mighty work there, except that (K)he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And (L)he marveled because of their unbelief.
(M)And he went about among the villages teaching.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
7 (N)And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to (O)wear sandals and not put on two tunics.[b] 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, (P)shake off the dust that is on your feet (Q)as a testimony against them.” 12 (R)So they went out and (S)proclaimed (T)that people should repent. 13 (U)And they cast out many demons and (V)anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
The Death of John the Baptist
14 (W)King Herod heard of it, for Jesus'[c] name had become known. Some[d] said, (X)“John the Baptist[e] has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 (Y)But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is (Z)a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 (AA)For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and (AB)bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. 18 (AC)For John had been saying to Herod, (AD)“It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod (AE)feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he (AF)heard him gladly.
21 But an opportunity came when Herod (AG)on his birthday (AH)gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, (AI)up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's[f] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his (AJ)disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
30 (AK)(AL)The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and (AM)they had no leisure even to eat. 32 (AN)And they went away in (AO)the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and (AP)recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he (AQ)saw a great crowd, and (AR)he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 (AS)Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, (AT)“You give them something to eat.” And (AU)they said to him, (AV)“Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii[g] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, (AW)“Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he (AX)looked up to heaven and (AY)said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Jesus Walks on the Water
45 (AZ)Immediately he (BA)made his disciples get into (BB)the boat and go before him to the other side, (BC)to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, (BD)he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when (BE)evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about (BF)the fourth watch of the night[h] he came to them, walking on the sea. (BG)He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and (BH)were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, (BI)“Take heart; it is I. (BJ)Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for (BK)they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts (BL)were hardened.
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
53 (BM)When they had crossed over, they came to land at (BN)Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately (BO)recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring (BP)the sick people (BQ)on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, (BR)they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even (BS)the fringe of his garment. And (BT)as many as touched it were made well.
Footnotes
- Mark 6:3 Or builder
- Mark 6:9 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
- Mark 6:14 Greek his
- Mark 6:14 Some manuscripts He
- Mark 6:14 Greek baptizer; also verse 24
- Mark 6:27 Greek his
- Mark 6:37 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Mark 6:48 That is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Mark 6
International Children’s Bible
Jesus Goes to His Hometown
6 Jesus left there and went back to his hometown. His followers went with him. 2 On the Sabbath day he taught in the synagogue. Many people heard him and were amazed. They said, “Where did this man get these teachings? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And where did he get the power to work miracles? 3 He is only the carpenter. His mother is Mary. He is the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters are here with us.” The people did not accept Jesus.
4 Jesus said to them, “Other people give honor to a prophet. But in his own town with his own people and in his own home, a prophet does not receive honor.” 5 Jesus was not able to work many miracles there. The only miracles he did were to heal some sick people by putting his hands on them. 6 Jesus was amazed that they had no faith.
Then Jesus went to other villages in that area and taught. 7 He called the 12 followers together and sent them out in groups of 2. He gave them authority over evil spirits. 8 This is what Jesus told them: “Take nothing for your trip except a walking stick. Take no bread, no bag, and no money in your pockets. 9 Wear sandals, and take only the clothes you are wearing. 10 When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. 11 If any town refuses to accept you or its people refuse to listen to you, then leave that town. Shake its dust off your feet.[a] This will be a warning to them.”[b]
12 The followers went out and preached to the people to change their hearts and lives. 13 The followers forced many demons out and poured olive oil on many sick people and healed them.
How John the Baptist Was Killed
14 King Herod heard about Jesus, because Jesus was now well known. Some people said,[c] “He is John the Baptist. He is risen from death. That is the reason he can work these miracles.”
15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”[d]
Other people said, “Jesus is a prophet. He is like the prophets who lived long ago.”
16 Herod heard all these things about Jesus. He said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has been raised from death!”
17 Herod himself had ordered his soldiers to arrest John, and John was put in prison. Herod did this to please his wife, Herodias. Herodias was the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. But then Herod married her. 18 John told Herod that it was not lawful for him to be married to his brother’s wife. 19 So Herodias hated John and wanted to kill him. But she could not because of Herod. 20 Herod was afraid to kill John because he knew John was a good and holy man. So Herod protected John. Also, Herod enjoyed listening to John preach. But John’s preaching always bothered him.
21 Then the perfect time came for Herodias to cause John’s death. It happened on Herod’s birthday. Herod gave a dinner party for the most important government leaders, the commanders of his army, and the most important people in Galilee. 22 The daughter of Herodias[e] came to the party and danced. When she danced, Herod and the people eating with him were very pleased.
So King Herod said to the girl, “I will give you anything you want.” 23 He promised her, “Anything you ask for I will give to you. I will even give you half of my kingdom.”
24 The girl went to her mother and asked, “What should I ask the king to give me?”
Her mother answered, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist.”
25 Quickly the girl went back to the king. She said to him, “Please give me the head of John the Baptist. Bring it to me now on a platter.”
26 The king was very sad. But he had promised to give the girl anything she wanted. And the people eating there with him had heard his promise. So Herod could not refuse what she asked. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier to bring John’s head. The soldier went and cut off John’s head in the prison 28 and brought it back on a platter. He gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 John’s followers heard about what happened. So they came and got John’s body and put it in a tomb.
More Than 5,000 People Fed
30 The apostles that Jesus had sent out to preach returned. They gathered around him and told him about all the things they had done and taught. 31 Crowds of people were coming and going. Jesus and his followers did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come with me. We will go to a quiet place to be alone. There we will get some rest.”
32 So they went in a boat alone to a place where there were no people. 33 But many people saw them leave and recognized them. So people from all the towns ran to the place where Jesus was going. They got there before Jesus arrived. 34 When he landed, he saw a great crowd waiting. Jesus felt sorry for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things.
35 It was now late in the day. Jesus’ followers came to him and said, “No one lives in this place. And it is already very late. 36 Send the people away. They need to go to the farms and towns around here to buy some food to eat.”
37 But Jesus answered, “You give them food to eat.”
They said to him, “We can’t buy enough bread to feed all these people! We would all have to work a month to earn enough money to buy that much bread!”
38 Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have now? Go and see.”
When they found out, they came to him and said, “We have five loaves and two fish.”
39 Then Jesus said to the followers, “Tell all the people to sit in groups on the green grass.” 40 So all the people sat in groups. They sat in groups of 50 or groups of 100. 41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up to heaven and thanked God for the bread. He divided the bread and gave it to his followers for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. 42 All the people ate and were satisfied. 43 The followers filled 12 baskets with the pieces of bread and fish that were not eaten. 44 There were about 5,000 men there who ate.
Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Then Jesus told his followers to get into the boat and go to Bethsaida on the other side of the lake. Jesus said that he would come later. He stayed there to tell the people they could go home. 46 After sending them away, he went into the hills to pray.
47 That night, the boat was in the middle of the lake. Jesus was alone on the land. 48 He saw the followers working hard to row the boat because the wind was blowing against them. At some time between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He continued walking until he was almost past the boat. 49 But when his followers saw him walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost and cried out. 50 They all saw him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke to them and said, “Have courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” 51 Then he got into the boat with them. And the wind became calm. The followers were greatly amazed. 52 They had seen Jesus make more bread from the five loaves. But they did not understand what it meant. Their minds were closed.
53 When they had crossed the lake, they came to shore at Gennesaret. They tied the boat there. 54 When they got out of the boat, the people saw Jesus and immediately recognized him. 55 They ran to tell others everywhere in that area that Jesus was there. They brought sick people on mats to every place Jesus went. 56 Jesus went into towns and cities and farms around that area. And everywhere he went, the people brought the sick to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them just touch the edge of his coat. And all who touched him were healed.
Footnotes
- 6:11 Shake . . . feet. A warning. It showed that they were finished talking to these people.
- 6:11 them Some Greek copies continue, “I tell you the truth, on the Judgment Day it will be better for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah than for the people of that town.” See Matthew 10:15.
- 6:14 Some people said Some Greek copies read “He said.”
- 6:15 Elijah A man who spoke for God. He lived hundreds of years before Christ.
- 6:22 The . . . Herodias Some Greek copies read “His daughter Herodias.”
Mark 6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!(A) 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary[a] and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense[b] at him.(B) 4 Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown and among their own kin and in their own house.”(C) 5 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.(D) 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.
The Mission of the Twelve
Then he went about among the villages teaching.(E) 7 He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.(F) 8 He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, 9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.(G) 13 They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.(H)
The Death of John the Baptist
14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’s[c] name had become known. Some were[d] saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”(I) 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”(J)
17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod[e] had married her. 18 For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”(K) 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed,[f] and yet he liked to listen to him.(L) 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee.(M) 22 When his daughter Herodias[g] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” 23 And he swore[h] to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.”(N) 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” 25 Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 The king was deeply grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s[i] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Feeding the Five Thousand
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.(O) 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.(P) 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.(Q) 35 When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”(R) 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”(S) 39 Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and he divided the two fish among them all.(T) 42 And all ate and were filled, 43 and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.(U) 46 After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came toward them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by.(V) 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”(W) 51 Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,(X) 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.(Y)
Healing the Sick in Gennesaret
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.(Z) 54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him 55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.(AA)
Footnotes
- 6.3 Other ancient authorities read son of the carpenter and of Mary
- 6.3 Or stumbled
- 6.14 Gk his
- 6.14 Other ancient authorities read He was
- 6.17 Gk he
- 6.20 Other ancient authorities read he did many things
- 6.22 Other ancient authorities read the daughter of Herodias herself
- 6.23 Other ancient authorities add solemnly
- 6.27 Gk his
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