Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

14 At that time did Herod the tetrarch hear the fame of Jesus,

² and said to his servants, `This is John the Baptist, he did rise from the dead, and because of this the mighty energies are working in him.'

³ For Herod having laid hold on John, did bind him, and did put him in prison, because of Herodias his brother Philip's wife,

⁴ for John was saying to him, `It is not lawful to thee to have her,'

⁵ and, willing to kill him, he feared the multitude, because as a prophet they were holding him.

⁶ But the birthday of Herod being kept, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and did please Herod,

⁷ whereupon with an oath he professed to give her whatever she might ask.

⁸ And she having been instigated by her mother -- `Give me (says she) here upon a plate the head of John the Baptist;

⁹ and the king was grieved, but because of the oaths and of those reclining with him, he commanded [it] to be given;

¹⁰ and having sent, he beheaded John in the prison,

¹¹ and his head was brought upon a plate, and was given to the damsel, and she brought [it] nigh to her mother.

¹² And his disciples having come, took up the body, and buried it, and having come, they told Jesus,

¹³ and Jesus having heard, withdrew thence in a boat to a desolate place by himself, and the multitudes having heard did follow him on land from the cities.

¹⁴ And Jesus having come forth, saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion upon them, and did heal their infirm;

¹⁵ and evening having come, his disciples came to him, saying, `The place is desolate, and the hour hath now past, let away the multitudes that, having gone to the villages, they may buy to themselves food.'

¹⁶ And Jesus said to them, `They have no need to go away -- give ye them to eat.'

¹⁷ And they say to him, `We have not here except five loaves, and two fishes.'

¹⁸ And he said, `Bring ye them to me hither.'

¹⁹ And having commanded the multitudes to recline upon the grass, and having taken the five loaves and the two fishes, having looked up to the heaven, he did bless, and having broken, he gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes,

²⁰ and they did all eat, and were filled, and they took up what was over of the broken pieces twelve hand-baskets full;

²¹ and those eating were about five thousand men, apart from women and children.

²² And immediately Jesus constrained his disciples to go into the boat, and to go before him to the other side, till he might let away the multitudes;

²³ and having let away the multitudes, he went up to the mountain by himself to pray, and evening having come, he was there alone,

²⁴ and the boat was now in the midst of the sea, distressed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went away to them, walking upon the sea,

²⁶ and the disciples having seen him walking upon the sea, were troubled saying -- `It is an apparition,' and from the fear they cried out;

²⁷ and immediately Jesus spake to them, saying, `Be of good courage, I am [he], be not afraid.'

²⁸ And Peter answering him said, `Sir, if it is thou, bid me come to thee upon the waters;'

²⁹ and he said, `Come;' and having gone down from the boat, Peter walked upon the waters to come unto Jesus,

³⁰ but seeing the wind vehement, he was afraid, and having begun to sink, he cried out, saying, `Sir, save me.'

³¹ And immediately Jesus, having stretched forth the hand, laid hold of him, and saith to him, `Little faith! for what didst thou waver?'

³² and they having gone to the boat the wind lulled,

³³ and those in the boat having come, did bow to him, saying, `Truly -- God's Son art thou.'

³⁴ And having passed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret,

³⁵ and having recognized him, the men of that place sent forth to all that region round about, and they brought to him all who were ill,

³⁶ and were calling on him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment, and as many as did touch were saved.

15 Then come unto Jesus do they from Jerusalem -- scribes and Pharisees -- saying,

² `Wherefore do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they may eat bread.'

³ And he answering said to them, `Wherefore also do ye transgress the command of God because of your tradition?

⁴ for God did command, saying, Honour thy father and mother; and, He who is speaking evil of father or mother -- let him die the death;

⁵ but ye say, Whoever may say to father or mother, An offering [is] whatever thou mayest be profited by me; --

⁶ and he may not honour his father or his mother, and ye did set aside the command of God because of your tradition.

⁷ `Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

⁸ This people doth draw nigh to Me with their mouth, and with the lips it doth honour Me, but their heart is far off from Me;

⁹ and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings -- commands of men.'

¹⁰ And having called near the multitude, he said to them, `Hear and understand:

¹¹ not that which is coming into the mouth doth defile the man, but that which is coming forth from the mouth, this defileth the man.'

¹² Then his disciples having come near, said to him, `Hast thou known that the Pharisees, having heard the word, were stumbled?'

¹³ And he answering said, `Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up;

¹⁴ let them alone, guides they are -- blind of blind; and if blind may guide blind, both into a ditch shall fall.'

¹⁵ And Peter answering said to him, `Explain to us this simile.'

¹⁶ And Jesus said, `Are ye also yet without understanding?

¹⁷ do ye not understand that all that is going into the mouth doth pass into the belly, and into the drain is cast forth?

¹⁸ but the things coming forth from the mouth from the heart do come forth, and these defile the man;

¹⁹ for out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, whoredoms, thefts, false witnessings, evil speakings:

²⁰ these are the things defiling the man; but to eat with unwashen hands doth not defile the man.'

²¹ And Jesus having come forth thence, withdrew to the parts of Tyre and Sidon,

²² and lo, a woman, a Canaanitess, from those borders having come forth, did call to him, saying, `Deal kindly with me, Sir -- Son of David; my daughter is miserably demonized.'

²³ And he did not answer her a word; and his disciples having come to him, were asking him, saying -- `Let her away, because she crieth after us;'

²⁴ and he answering said, `I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'

²⁵ And having come, she was bowing to him, saying, `Sir, help me;'

²⁶ and he answering said, `It is not good to take the children's bread, and to cast to the little dogs.'

²⁷ And she said, `Yes, sir, for even the little dogs do eat of the crumbs that are falling from their lords' table;'

²⁸ then answering, Jesus said to her, `O woman, great [is] thy faith, let it be to thee as thou wilt;' and her daughter was healed from that hour.

²⁹ And Jesus having passed thence, came nigh unto the sea of Galilee, and having gone up to the mountain, he was sitting there,

³⁰ and there came to him great multitudes, having with them lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and they did cast them at the feet of Jesus, and he healed them,

³¹ so that the multitudes did wonder, seeing dumb ones speaking, maimed whole, lame walking, and blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

³² And Jesus having called near his disciples, said, `I have compassion upon the multitude, because now three days they continue with me, and they have not what they may eat; and to let them away fasting I will not, lest they faint in the way.'

³³ And his disciples say to him, `Whence to us, in a wilderness, so many loaves, as to fill so great a multitude?'

³⁴ And Jesus saith to them, `How many loaves have ye?' and they said, `Seven, and a few little fishes.'

³⁵ And he commanded the multitudes to sit down upon the ground,

³⁶ and having taken the seven loaves and the fishes, having given thanks, he did break, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

³⁷ And they did all eat, and were filled, and they took up what was over of the broken pieces seven baskets full,

³⁸ and those eating were four thousand men, apart from women and children.

³⁹ And having let away the multitudes, he went into the boat, and did come to the borders of Magdala.