Chronological
The death of John the Baptist
14 At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard reports about Jesus.
2 “This fellow must be John the Baptist,” he said to his servants. “He’s been raised from the dead! That’s why these powers are at work in him.”
3 This is what had happened. Herod had seized John, tied him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 John had been telling him that it wasn’t right for him to have her. 5 Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the crowd, because they reckoned that John was a prophet.
6 When Herod’s birthday came around, the daughter of Herodias danced for the assembled company, and delighted Herod. 7 So he swore a great oath that he would give her whatever she requested. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me—here, on a platter—the head of John the Baptizer!” 9 The king was sorry; but because of his oaths, and his guests, he gave orders for it to be given to her. 10 He sent to the prison and had John beheaded. 11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she passed it on to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
The feeding of the five thousand
13 When Jesus heard it, he went away from there in a boat to a deserted spot by himself. The crowds heard about it, and they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he came out and saw the large crowd, he was sorry for them. He healed their sick.
15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him.
“This is a deserted spot,” they said, “and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 “They don’t need to go away,” said Jesus. “You give them something to eat.”
17 “All we have here,” they said, “is five loaves of bread and two fish.”
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.
19 He told the crowds to sit down on the grass. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish and looked up to heaven. He blessed the loaves, broke them, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 Everybody ate and was satisfied, and they picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces. 21 There were about five thousand men who had eaten, besides women and children.
22 Jesus at once made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the opposite shore, while he dismissed the crowds.
Jesus walks on water
23 After he had sent the crowds away, Jesus went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came he was there by himself. 24 The boat had already gone some distance from the shore and was being smashed around by the waves, since the wind was against it.
25 At the very dead of night he came towards them, walking on the water. 26 The disciples saw him walking on the sea and panicked. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they screamed in terror. 27 But Jesus at once spoke to them.
“Cheer up,” he said, “it’s me! Don’t be frightened!”
28 “If it’s really you, Master,” said Peter in reply, “give me the word to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come along, then,” said Jesus.
Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came towards Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind he was afraid, and began to sink.
“Master,” he yelled, “rescue me!”
31 Jesus at once reached out his hand and caught him.
“A fine lot of faith you’ve got!” he said. “Why did you doubt?”
32 They got into the boat, and the wind died down. 33 The people in the boat worshiped him.
“You really are God’s son!” they said.
34 So they crossed over to the land called Gennesaret. 35 The men of that region recognized him and sent word to all the surrounding district. They brought all their sick people to him, 36 and begged him to be allowed simply to touch the hem of his clothes. And everyone who touched it was cured.
A prophet in his own town
6 Jesus went away from there, and came to his home region. His disciples followed him. 2 On the sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. When they heard him, lots of people were astonished.
“Where does he get it all from?” they said. “What’s this wisdom he’s been given? How does he get this kind of power in his hands? 3 Isn’t he the builder, Mary’s son? Isn’t he the brother of James, Joses, Judah and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” They took offense at him.
4 “Prophets have honor everywhere,” said Jesus, “except in their own country, their own family, and their own home.”
5 He couldn’t do anything remarkable there, except that he laid hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 Their unbelief dumbfounded him.
He went round the villages, teaching.
The Twelve sent out
7 Jesus called the Twelve, and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits. 8 These were his instructions: they were not to take anything for the road, just one staff; no bread, no bag, no cash in the belt; 9 to wear sandals, and not to wear a second tunic.
10 “Whenever you go into a house,” he told them, “stay there until you leave the district. 11 If any place doesn’t welcome you, or won’t listen to you, go away and wipe the dust from your feet as evidence against them.”
12 They went off and announced that people should repent. 13 They cast out several demons; and they anointed many sick people with oil, and cured them.
The speculations of Herod
14 Jesus’ name became well known, and reached the ears of King Herod.
“It’s John the Baptist,” he said, “risen from the dead! That’s why these powers are at work in him.”
15 Other people said, “It’s Elijah!”
Others said, “He’s a prophet, like one of the old prophets.”
16 “No,” said Herod when he heard this. “It’s John. I cut off his head, and he’s been raised.”
Herod and John the Baptist
17 What had happened was this. Herod had married Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 18 John regularly told Herod it wasn’t right for him to take his brother’s wife; so Herod gave the word, arrested him and tied him up in prison. 19 Herodias kept up a grudge against him and wanted to kill him, but couldn’t; 20 Herod knew that John was a just and holy man, and he was afraid of him. So he protected him, and used to listen to him regularly. What he heard disturbed him greatly, and yet he enjoyed listening to him.
21 And then, one day, the moment came. There was a great party. It was Herod’s birthday, and he gave a feast for his leading retainers, militia officers, and the great and good of Galilee. 22 Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, and Herod and his guests were delighted.
“Tell me what you’d like,” said the king to the girl, “and I’ll give it you!”
23 He swore to her, over and over again, “Whatever you ask me, I’ll give it you—right up to half my kingdom!”
24 She went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”
“The head of John the Baptist,” she replied.
25 So she went back at once to the king, all eager, and made her request: “I want you to give me, right now, on a dish—the head of John the Baptist!”
26 The king was distraught. But his oaths on the one hand, and his guests on the other, meant he hadn’t the guts to refuse her. 27 So he sent a jailer straight away with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought the head on a dish, and gave it to the girl. The girl gave it to her mother.
29 When John’s followers heard about it, they came and took his body, and buried it in a tomb.
The feeding of the five thousand
30 The apostles came back to Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. 31 “All right,” he said, “it’s time for a break. Come away, just you, and we’ll go somewhere lonely and private.” (Crowds of people were coming and going and they didn’t even have time to eat.)
32 So they went off privately in the boat to a deserted spot. 33 And . . . crowds saw them going, realized what was happening, hurried on foot from all the towns, and arrived there first. 34 When Jesus got out of the boat he saw the huge crowd, and was deeply sorry for them, because they were like a flock without a shepherd. So he started to teach them many things.
35 It was already getting late when his disciples came to him and said, “Look: there’s nothing here. It’s getting late. 36 Send them away. They need to go off into the countryside and the villages and buy themselves some food.”
37 “Why don’t you give them something?” Jesus replied.
“Are you suggesting,” they asked, “that we should go and spend two hundred dinars and get food for this lot?”
38 “Well,” said Jesus, “how many loaves have you got? Go and see.”
They found out, and said, “Five, and a couple of fish.”
39 Jesus told them to sit everyone down, group by group, on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in companies, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, looked up to heaven, blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples to give to the crowd. Then he divided the two fish for them all. 42 Everyone ate, and had plenty. 43 They picked up the leftovers, and there were twelve baskets of broken pieces, and of the fish.
44 The number of men who had eaten was five thousand.
Jesus walks on water
45 At once Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and set sail across towards Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 He took his leave of them and went off up the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the shore. 48 He saw they were having to work hard at rowing, because the wind was against them; and he came to them, in the small hours of the night, walking on the sea. He intended to go past them, 49 but they saw him walking on the sea and thought it was an apparition. They yelled out; 50 all of them saw him, and they were scared stiff.
At once he spoke to them.
“Cheer up,” he said, “it’s me. Don’t be afraid.”
51 He came up to them and got into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were overwhelmed with astonishment. 52 They hadn’t understood about the loaves, because their hearts were hardened.
53 They made landfall at Gennesaret, and tied up the boat. 54 People recognized Jesus as soon as they got out of the boat, 55 and scurried about the whole region to bring sick people on stretchers to wherever they heard that he was. 56 And wherever he went, in villages, towns or in the open country, they placed the sick in the market-places and begged him to let them touch even the hem of his garment. And all who touched it were healed.
The Twelve sent out and the feeding of the five thousand
9 Jesus called together the Twelve, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them out to announce God’s kingdom and cure the sick.
3 “Don’t take anything for the journey,” he said to them, “no stick, no bag, no bread, no money, no second cloak. 4 Whenever you go into a house, stay there and leave from there. 5 If anyone won’t receive you, go out of that town and wipe the dust off your feet as evidence against them.”
6 So off they went, and traveled through the villages, announcing the good news and healing people everywhere.
7 Herod the Tetrarch heard what was going on, and was very puzzled. Some people were saying that John had been raised from the dead. 8 Others were saying that Elijah had appeared; still others, that one of the old prophets had arisen.
9 “I beheaded John,” said Herod, “but I keep hearing all these things about this other fellow. Who is he?” And he tried to get to see him.
10 The apostles returned and told Jesus what they had done. He took them off and went away privately to a town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds discovered, they followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed it.
12 As the day wore on, the Twelve came to Jesus.
“Send the crowd away,” they said, “so that they can go into the villages and countryside nearby, find somewhere to stay, and get something to eat. We’re in quite a lonely spot here.”
13 “You give them something to eat,” he replied.
“All we’ve got here,” they said, “is five loaves and a couple of fishes—unless you mean we should go ourselves and buy food for all these people?” 14 (There were about five thousand men.)
“Get them to sit down,” Jesus said to them, “in groups of around fifty each.”
15 They did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Then Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven, blessed the food, divided it, and gave it to the disciples to pass around the crowd. 17 Everyone ate, and was satisfied. They took up twelve baskets of broken bits left over.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.