ט Teth

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand^(A)

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs^(B) he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside^(C) and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival^(D) was near.

⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip,^(E) “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages^[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother,^(F) spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”^(G)

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,^(H) and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign^(I) Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”^{(J) 15} Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king^(K) by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.^(L)

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless^(A) and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience^(B) means salvation,^(C) just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.^{(D) 16} He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable^(E) people distort,^(F) as they do the other Scriptures,^(G) to their own destruction.

¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard^(H) so that you may not be carried away by the error^(I) of the lawless^(J) and fall from your secure position.^{(K) 18} But grow in the grace^(L) and knowledge^(M) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.^(N) To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.^(O)