Herod Thinks Jesus Is John the Baptizer^(A)

14 About that time, Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard what the people were saying about Jesus. ² So he said to his servants, “This man is really John the Baptizer. He must have risen from death, and that is why he can do these miracles.”

How John the Baptizer Was Killed

³ Before this time, Herod had arrested John. He had him chained and put in prison. He arrested John because of Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. ⁴ John had told him, “It is not right for you to be married to Herodias.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the people. They believed that John was a prophet.

⁶ On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for him and his group. Herod was very pleased with her. ⁷ So he promised that he would give her anything she wanted. ⁸ Herodias told her daughter what to ask for. So she said to Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptizer here on this plate.”

⁹ King Herod was very sad. But he had promised to give the daughter anything she wanted. And the people eating with Herod had heard his promise. So he ordered what she asked to be done. ¹⁰ He sent men to the prison, where they cut off John’s head. ¹¹ And the men brought John’s head on a plate and gave it to the girl. Then she took the head to her mother, Herodias. ¹² John’s followers came and got his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what happened.

Herod Thinks Jesus Is John the Baptizer^(A)

¹⁴ King Herod heard about Jesus, because Jesus was now famous. Some people said, “He is John the Baptizer. He must have risen from death, and that is why he can do these miracles.”

¹⁵ Other people said, “He is Elijah.”

And others said, “He is a prophet. He is like the prophets who lived long ago.”

¹⁶ Herod heard these things about Jesus. He said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has been raised from death!”

How John the Baptizer Was Killed

¹⁷ Herod himself had ordered his soldiers to arrest John and put him in prison. Herod did this to please his wife Herodias. She had been married to Herod’s brother Philip, but then Herod married her. ¹⁸ John told Herod, “It is not right for you to be married to your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹ So Herodias hated John. She wanted him dead, but she was not able to persuade Herod to kill him. ²⁰ Herod was afraid to kill John, because he knew that he was a good and holy man. So he protected him. He liked listening to John, although what John said left him with so many questions.

²¹ Then the right 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 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—even half of my kingdom.”

²⁴ The girl went to her mother and asked, “What should I ask King Herod to give me?”

Her mother answered, “Ask for the head of John the Baptizer.”

²⁵ So right then the girl went back in to the king. She said to him, “Please give me the head of John the Baptizer. Bring it to me now on a plate.”

²⁶ King Herod was very sad, but he didn’t want to break the promise he had made to her in front of his guests. ²⁷ So he sent a soldier to cut off John’s head and bring it to him. The soldier went and cut off John’s head in the prison. ²⁸ He brought the head back on a plate and 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.