Herod Kills John the Baptist

14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist! He has been raised from the dead, and for this reason miraculous powers are at work in him.” For Herod, after[a] arresting John, bound him and put him[b] in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because John had been saying to him, “It is not permitted for you to have her.” And although he[c] wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they looked upon him as a prophet.

But when[d] Herod’s birthday celebration took place, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst of them and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. And coached by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter!” And although[e] the king was distressed, because of his oaths and his dinner guests[f] he commanded the request[g] to be granted. 10 And he sent orders[h] and[i] had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it[j] to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and[k] took away the corpse and buried it, and went and[l] told Jesus.

The Feeding of Five Thousand

13 Now when[m] Jesus heard it,[n] he withdrew from there in a boat to an isolated place by himself. And when[o] the crowds heard it,[p] they followed him by land from the towns. 14 And as he[q] got out, he saw the large crowd and had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it[r] was evening, the disciples came to him saying, “The place is desolate and the hour is late.[s] Release the crowds so that they can go away into the villages and[t] purchase food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need[u] to go away. You give them something[v] to eat.” 17 And they said to him, “We do not have anything[w] here except five loaves and two fish.” 18 So he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 And he commanded the crowds to recline for a meal on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and[x] looking up to heaven, he gave thanks. And after[y] breaking them,[z] he gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them[aa] to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 Now those who ate were about five thousand men, in addition to women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent away the crowds. 23 And after he[ab] sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. So when[ac] evening came, he was there alone. 24 But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land, being beaten by the waves, because the wind was against it. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But the disciples, when they[ad] saw him walking on the sea, were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Have courage, I am he! Do not be afraid!” 28 And Peter answered him and[ae] said, “Lord, if it is you,[af] command me to come to you on the water!” 29 So he said, “Come!” And getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he[ag] saw the strong wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus extended his[ah] hand and[ai] caught him and said to him, “You of little faith! Why did you doubt?” 32 And when[aj] they got into the boat, the wind abated. 33 So those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!”

Many Healed at Gennesaret

34 And after they[ak] had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when[al] the men of that place recognized him, they sent word into that whole surrounding region, and they brought to him all those who were sick.[am] 36 And they were imploring him that they might only touch the edge[an] of his cloak, and all those who touched it[ao] were cured.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 14:3 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“arresting”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Matthew 14:3 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  3. Matthew 14:5 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“wanted”) which is understood as concessive
  4. Matthew 14:6 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“took place”) which is understood as temporal
  5. Matthew 14:9 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was distressed”) which is understood as concessive
  6. Matthew 14:9 Literally “those reclining at table with”
  7. Matthew 14:9 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  8. Matthew 14:10 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  9. Matthew 14:10 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sent”) has been translated as a finite verb
  10. Matthew 14:11 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  11. Matthew 14:12 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb
  12. Matthew 14:12 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb
  13. Matthew 14:13 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  14. Matthew 14:13 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  15. Matthew 14:13 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  16. Matthew 14:13 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  17. Matthew 14:14 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“got out”) which is understood as temporal
  18. Matthew 14:15 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was”)
  19. Matthew 14:15 Literally “has passed away”
  20. Matthew 14:15 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“go away”) has been translated as a finite verb
  21. Matthew 14:16 Literally “have need”
  22. Matthew 14:16 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  23. Matthew 14:17 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  24. Matthew 14:19 Here “and” has been supplied in the English translation for stylistic reasons
  25. Matthew 14:19 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“breaking”) which is understood as temporal
  26. Matthew 14:19 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  27. Matthew 14:19 gave them” is an implied repetition of the earlier verb
  28. Matthew 14:23 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“sent away”) which is understood as temporal
  29. Matthew 14:23 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“came”)
  30. Matthew 14:26 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  31. Matthew 14:28 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  32. Matthew 14:28 Literally “you are” he
  33. Matthew 14:30 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  34. Matthew 14:31 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  35. Matthew 14:31 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“extended”) has been translated as a finite verb
  36. Matthew 14:32 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“got”)
  37. Matthew 14:34 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had crossed over”) which is understood as temporal
  38. Matthew 14:35 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“recognized”) which is understood as temporal
  39. Matthew 14:35 Literally “having badly”
  40. Matthew 14:36 Or “tassel”
  41. Matthew 14:36 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

The Death of John the Baptist

14 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[a] heard about Jesus, he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”

For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.

But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.

18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

Jesus Walks on Water

22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning[b] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here![c]

28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong[d] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

34 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. 36 They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

Footnotes

  1. 14:1 Greek Herod the tetrarch. Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod and was ruler over Galilee.
  2. 14:25 Greek In the fourth watch of the night.
  3. 14:27 Or The ‘I am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.
  4. 14:30 Some manuscripts do not include strong.