Chronological
How John the Baptist Was Killed(A)
14 At that time Herod, the ·ruler of Galilee [L tetrarch; see Luke 3:1], heard the reports about Jesus. 2 So he said to his servants, “·Jesus [L This] is John the Baptist, who has risen from the dead. That is why ·he can work these miracles [L miraculous powers are at work in him].”
3 ·Sometime before this, [L For] Herod had arrested John, ·tied him up [chained/bound him], and put him into prison. Herod did this because of Herodias, who had been the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. 4 [L For] John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to ·be married to Herodias [have her].” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the ·people [crowd], because they ·believed John was [regarded John as] a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod and his guests, and she [greatly] pleased him. 7 So he ·promised [announced] with ·an oath [a vow] to give her anything she ·wanted [asked]. 8 ·Herodias told her daughter what to ask for, so [At her mother’s urging/prompting] she said to Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 Although King Herod was very ·sad [sorry; grieved; distressed], he had made a ·promise [vow; oath], and his dinner guests had heard him. So Herod ·ordered [commanded] that what she asked for be done. 10 He sent soldiers to the prison to cut off John’s head. 11 And they brought it on a platter and gave it to the girl, and she took it to her mother. 12 John’s ·followers [disciples] came and got his ·body [corpse] and buried it. Then they went and ·told [reported it to] Jesus.
More than Five Thousand Fed(B)
13 When Jesus heard what had happened to John, he left in a boat and went to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place by himself. But the crowds heard about it and followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he ·arrived [landed; came ashore], he saw a great crowd waiting. He ·felt sorry [had compassion] for them and healed those who were sick.
15 When it was evening, his ·followers [disciples] came to him and said, “·No one lives in this [This is a remote/deserted] place, and it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the ·towns [villages] and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus answered, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 They said to him, “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish.”
18 Jesus said, “Bring ·the bread and the fish [L them here] to me.” 19 Then he ·told [commanded; ordered] the people to ·sit down [recline] on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking to heaven, he ·thanked God for [blessed] the food. Jesus ·divided [broke] the bread and gave it to his ·followers [disciples], who gave it to the people. 20 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then ·the followers [L they] filled twelve baskets with the leftover pieces of food. 21 There were about five thousand men there who ate, not counting women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Water(C)
22 Immediately Jesus ·told [compelled; made] his ·followers [disciples] to get into the boat and go ahead of him ·across the lake [to the other side]. He stayed there to ·send the people home [dismiss the crowds]. 23 After he had ·sent them away [dismissed them], he went by himself up into the ·hills [mountain] to pray. ·It was late, and [When evening/night came,] Jesus was there alone. 24 By this time, the boat was already ·far away [L many stadia; C a stadion was about six hundred feet] from land. It was being ·hit [buffeted; beaten] by waves, because the wind was blowing against it.
25 ·Between three and six o’clock in the morning [L And in the fourth watch of the night], Jesus came to them, walking on the water. 26 When his ·followers [disciples] saw him walking on the water, they were ·afraid [terrified]. They said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus ·quickly [immediately] spoke to them, “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 Peter said, “Lord, if it is really you, then ·command [tell] me to come to you on the water.”
29 Jesus said, “Come.”
And Peter left the boat and walked on the water ·to [L and came toward] Jesus. 30 But when Peter saw the wind,[a] he became ·afraid [terrified] and began to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and ·caught [took hold of] Peter. Jesus said, “·Your faith is small [What little faith you have; T You of little faith]. Why did you doubt?”
32 After they got into the boat, the wind ·became calm [stopped; died down]. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “Truly you are the Son of God!”
Healings at Gennesaret(D)
34 When they had crossed the lake, they came to shore at Gennesaret. 35 When the ·people there [or men of that place] recognized Jesus, they ·told people [sent word] all around there that Jesus had come, and they brought all their sick to him. 36 They begged Jesus to let them touch just the ·edge [or tassels; see Num. 15:38–39] of his ·coat [cloak], and all who touched it were healed.
Jesus Goes to His Hometown(A)
6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown [C Nazareth; Matt. 2:23; Luke 2:39], and his ·followers [disciples] went with him. 2 On the Sabbath day he ·taught [L began to teach] in the synagogue. Many people heard him and were ·amazed [astonished], saying, “Where did this man get these ·teachings [L things]? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And where did he get the power to do ·miracles [L such mighty works done by his hands]? 3 ·He is just [L Isn’t this…?] the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph [C Greek: Joses], Judas, and Simon. ·And his sisters are [L Are not his sisters…?] here with us.” So the people were ·upset with [offended by] Jesus.
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is ·honored everywhere [not dishonored] except in his hometown and with his own ·people [relatives; kin] and in his own ·home [household].” 5 So Jesus was not able to work any miracles there except to heal a few sick people by ·putting [laying] his hands on them. 6 He ·was amazed [wondered; marveled] ·at how many people had no faith [because of their unbelief].
Jesus Commissions the Twelve Apostles(B)
Then Jesus went [around] to other villages in that area and taught. 7 He called ·his twelve followers [L the Twelve] together and ·got ready [began] to send them out two by two and gave them authority over ·evil [defiling; L unclean] spirits. 8 This is what Jesus ·commanded [ordered; instructed] them: “Take nothing for your ·trip [journey; way] except a ·walking stick [staff]. Take no bread, no ·bag [traveler’s bag; or beggar’s purse], and no money in your ·pockets [money belts]. 9 Wear sandals, but ·take only the clothes you are wearing [do not wear/pack two tunics]. 10 When you enter a house, stay there until you leave ·that town [that area]. 11 If the people in a certain place refuse to welcome you or listen to you, leave that place. Shake its dust off your feet [C a sign of rejection and coming judgment] as a ·warning to [testimony against] them.”[a]
12 So ·the followers [L they] went out and preached that people should ·change their hearts and lives [turn from sin; repent]. 13 They ·forced [drove; cast] many demons out and ·put olive oil on [anointed with oil] many sick people and healed them.
How John the Baptist Was Killed(C)
14 King Herod [C Antipas; a son of Herod the Great; Luke 3:1] heard about Jesus, because he was now well known. Some people said,[b] “He is John the Baptist, who has risen from the dead. That is why ·he can work these miracles [L miraculous powers are at work in him].”
15 Others said, “He is Elijah [C a great OT prophet (1 Kin. 17), who was expected to return in the end times (Mal. 4:5)].”
Other people said, “Jesus is a prophet, like the prophets who lived long ago.”
16 When Herod heard this, he said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has risen from the dead!”
17 Herod himself had ·ordered [sent] his soldiers to arrest John and ·put [bound; chained] him in prison ·in order to please [L because of] his wife, Herodias. She had been the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother, but then Herod had married her. 18 John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to ·be married to [have] your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias ·hated [had a grudge against] John and wanted to kill him. But she couldn’t, 20 because Herod was afraid of John and protected him. He knew John was a ·good [righteous] and holy man. Also, though John’s preaching always ·bothered [disturbed; puzzled; perplexed] him, he enjoyed listening to John.
21 Then the ·perfect [opportune] time came for Herodias to cause John’s death. On Herod’s birthday, he gave a ·dinner party [banquet] for ·the most important government leaders [his nobles/high officials], the commanders of his army, and ·the most important people [leaders] in Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias[c] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and the people eating with him.
So King Herod said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I will give it to you.” 23 He ·promised [swore/vowed to] her, “Anything you ask for I will give to you—up to half of my kingdom.”
24 The girl went [out] to her mother and asked, “What should I ask for?”
Her mother answered, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist.”
25 At once the girl ·went back [hurried back in] to the king and said to him, “I want [you to give me] the head of John the Baptist right now on a platter.”
26 Although the king was very ·sad [sorry; grieved; distressed], he had made a promise, and his dinner guests had heard it. So he did not want to refuse what she asked. 27 Immediately the king sent ·a soldier [an executioner] to bring John’s head. The ·soldier [executioner] 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 When John’s ·followers [disciples] heard this, they came and got John’s ·body [corpse] and put it in a tomb.
More than Five Thousand Fed(D)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him about all the things they had done and taught. 31 Crowds of people were coming and going so that Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves, and we will go to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place to get some rest.”
32 So they went in a boat by themselves to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place. 33 But many people saw them leave and recognized them. So from all the towns they ran to the place where Jesus was going, and they got there before him. 34 When he ·arrived [landed; came ashore], he saw a great crowd waiting. He ·felt sorry [had compassion] for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.
35 When it was late in the day, his ·followers [disciples] came to him and said, “·No one lives in this place [This is a remote/deserted place], and it is already very late. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the countryside and towns around here to buy themselves something to eat.”
37 But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.”
They said to him, ·“We would all have to work a month to earn enough money to buy that much bread!” [L “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”]
38 Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see.”
When they found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.”
39 Then Jesus ·told [commanded; ordered] ·his followers [L them] to have the people sit [recline; C the posture for a banquet or dinner party; 2:15] in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [blessed] the food. He ·divided [broke] the bread and gave it to his ·followers [disciples] 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 [L They] filled twelve baskets with the leftover pieces of bread and fish. 44 There were five thousand men who ate.
Jesus Walks on the Water(E)
45 Immediately Jesus ·told [compelled; made] his ·followers [disciples] to get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida [C a town on the northern shore of Lake Galilee, east of the Jordan River] across the lake. He stayed there to ·send the people home [dismiss the crowd]. 46 After ·sending them away [saying goodbye], he went into the hills to pray.
47 That night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on the land. 48 He saw his ·followers [disciples] struggling hard to row the boat, because the wind was blowing against them. ·Between three and six o’clock in the morning [L At about the fourth watch of the night], Jesus came to them, walking on the water, and he ·wanted [intended; was about] to ·walk past [pass by] the boat. 49 But when they saw him walking on the ·water [lake; sea], they thought he was a ghost and cried out. 50 They all saw him and were afraid. But ·quickly [immediately] 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 [ceased; stopped]. They were greatly amazed. 52 [For] They did not understand ·about the miracle of the five loaves [the significance of the loaves; L about the loaves], because their ·minds were closed [hearts were hardened/stubborn/dull].
53 When they had crossed the lake, they came to shore at Gennesaret [C either the plain on the northwestern shore of the lake, or a town in that region] and tied the boat there. 54 When they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Jesus. 55 They ran everywhere in that ·area [region] and began to bring sick people on ·mats [cots] wherever they heard he was. 56 And everywhere he went—into towns, cities, or countryside—the people brought the sick to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch just the ·edge [fringe; tassels] of his coat, and all who touched it were healed.
Jesus Sends Out the Apostles(A)
9 Jesus called ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] together and gave them power and authority ·over all [to cast out] demons and the ability to heal ·sicknesses [diseases]. 2 He sent the ·apostles [L them] out to ·tell about [preach; proclaim] God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your ·trip [journey], neither a ·walking stick [staff], ·bag [or beggar’s bag], ·bread [food], money, or ·extra clothes [L two shirts/tunics]. 4 When you enter a house, stay there ·until it is time to leave [L and depart from there; C probably to avoid temptation to move to better accommodations]. 5 If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off of your feet [C a sign of rejection and coming judgment] as you leave the town, as a ·warning to [testimony/evidence against] them.”
6 So the apostles went out and traveled ·through all the towns [from town to town], ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] and healing people everywhere.
Herod Is Confused About Jesus(B)
7 [L Now; But] Herod, the ·governor [L tetrarch; C Herod Antipas; 3:1], heard about all the things that were happening and was ·confused [puzzled; perplexed], because some people said, “·John the Baptist [L John] has risen from the dead.” 8 Others said, “Elijah has ·come to us [reappeared; L appeared; C some Jews expected Elijah to return in the end times; Mal. 4:5].” And still others said, “One of the prophets who lived long ago has ·risen from the dead [or appeared once again; L arisen].” 9 Herod said, “I ·cut off John’s head [had John beheaded], so who is this man I hear such things about?” And Herod kept trying to see Jesus.
More than Five Thousand Fed(C)
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then Jesus took them with him to a town called Bethsaida where they could be alone together. 11 But the ·people [crowds] learned where Jesus went and followed him. He welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom and healed those who needed to be healed.
12 Late in the afternoon, ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] came to Jesus and said, “Send the ·people [crowd] away. They need to go to the ·towns [villages] and countryside around here and find places to sleep and something to eat, because ·no one lives in this [L we are in a remote/deserted] place.”
13 But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish, unless we go buy food for all these people.” 14 (There were about five thousand men there.)
Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “Tell the people to sit in groups of about fifty people.”
15 So ·the followers [L they] did this, and all the people sat down. 16 Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [L blessed] the food. Then he ·divided the food [broke it into pieces] and gave it to the ·followers [disciples] to ·give to [distribute to; L set before] the people. 17 They all ate and were ·satisfied [filled], and what was left over was gathered up, filling twelve baskets.
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