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Herod's soldiers kill John the Baptist

14 At that time, people told Herod about the things that Jesus was doing. [ a ] 2 Herod said to his servants, ‘That man Jesus is really John the Baptist. John died but he has become alive again. That is the reason why this man can do these very powerful things.’

3 Before that, Herod had commanded his soldiers, ‘Take hold of John. Tie his hands and feet and put him in prison.’ Herod had done this because of his wife Herodias. Before Herod married her, she was the wife of Herod's brother Philip. 4 John had said to Herod, ‘Herodias was your brother's wife. So it is not right for you to have her as your wife.’ [ b ]

5 Herod wanted to tell his soldiers that they must kill John. But the people thought that John was a prophet from God. So Herod was afraid to kill him.

6 One day, when it was Herod's birthday, he asked people to come to a special meal. The daughter of Herodias danced in front of him and his visitors. Her dance caused Herod to become very happy. 7 He said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything that you want. I make a strong promise that I will give it to you.’ 8 Herodias suggested to her daughter, ‘Ask Herod to give you John's head.’ So the girl said to Herod, ‘Give me the head of John the Baptist on a plate.’ 9 Then Herod felt sad. But he had made a special promise to the girl, and his visitors had heard him. So he sent his men to do what she had asked for. 10 He said to a soldier, ‘Go to the prison and cut off John's head.’ 11 The soldier did this. Then he brought the head on a plate and he gave it to the girl. The girl took it and gave it to her mother.

12 After this, John's disciples went to the prison. They took away John's body and they buried it. Then they went and they told Jesus what had happened.

Jesus gives food to 5,000 men and their families

13 Jesus heard about what had happened to John. After that, he went away from that place. He sailed in a boat to a quiet place where he could be alone. But the crowd heard where Jesus had gone. So they left their towns and they went on land to the place where he was going. 14 Jesus got out of the boat. He saw a large crowd there on the shore. He felt sorry for them. There were sick people among them and he made them well again.

15 When it was almost evening, Jesus' disciples came to speak to him. They said to him, ‘We are in a place where there are no houses. It will soon be dark. Send the crowd away now, so that they can go to the villages near here. Then they can buy some food for themselves to eat.’

16 Jesus said to them, ‘The people do not need to go away. You should give them some food to eat.’

17 But the disciples said, ‘We only have five loaves of bread and two fish.’

18 ‘Bring the bread and fish here to me,’ Jesus said. 19 Then he said to the large crowd, ‘Sit down on the grass.’ He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and he thanked God for the bread and the fish. Then he broke the bread into pieces. He gave the pieces of bread to his disciples, and they gave them to the crowd. 20 Then everybody ate. They all had enough food and they were not hungry any more. Then the disciples picked up all the bits of food that people had not eaten. They filled 12 baskets with little bits of bread and fish. 21 About 5,000 men ate the bread and fish. Women and children also ate it with them. [ c ]

Jesus walks on the water

22 Immediately after this, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Get in the boat and sail across to the other side of the lake.’ Jesus said that he would first send the crowd away. Then he would also leave. 23 So Jesus sent the crowd away. After they had gone, he went up on a mountain alone to pray. When it became dark, he was still there alone. 24 At this time the boat with the disciples in it was in the middle of the lake. It was a long way from the land. The wind was blowing against the boat and the water was hitting it.

25 Then, when it was nearly dawn, Jesus walked on the water towards his disciples. 26 The disciples saw him walking on the water. They were very frightened. ‘It is a spirit,’ they said. They screamed loudly because they were afraid.

27 But immediately Jesus said to them. ‘Be brave! It is I. Do not be afraid.’

28 Peter replied, ‘Lord, is it really you? If it is you, say to me, “Come here! Walk to me on the water.” ’

29 Jesus said to him, ‘Come to me.’

So Peter got down out of the boat. He walked on the water and he came towards Jesus. 30 But then Peter saw that the wind was still blowing strongly. He became afraid and he began to go down into the water. He shouted to Jesus, ‘Lord, save me!’

31 Immediately, Jesus put out his hand and he took hold of Peter. He said to Peter, ‘You should trust me more than you do. Why did you not believe that I could help you?’

32 Jesus and Peter climbed up into the boat. Then the strong wind stopped. 33 The disciples who were in the boat went down on their knees. They praised Jesus and they said to him, ‘It is true. You are really the Son of God.’

34 They sailed across the lake and reached the shore at a place called Gennesaret. [ d ]

35 The people who lived in that place recognized Jesus. So they went to tell everyone who lived in places near there. People brought all their sick friends to him. 36 The sick people asked Jesus for help. They wanted to touch only the edge of his coat. Every sick person who touched him became well again.

Footnotes

  1. 14:1 Herod was the ruler in one of the four parts of Israel at that time.
  2. 14:4 Herodias had left Philip, her husband. Herod married her. So John told him what Moses had written in the Law. The Law said, ‘A man must not marry his brother's wife while his brother is still alive.’ Herod was not happy with John when he told him that. So Herod sent his men to put John in prison.
  3. 14:21 Only God could make five loaves of bread and two fish become enough to feed 5,000 men and their families. This showed them that God had caused Jesus to be very powerful.
  4. 14:34 Gennesaret was a part of the country on the west side of Lake Galilee.

Herod Thinks Jesus Is John the Baptizer ( A )

14 About that time, Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard what the people were saying about Jesus. 2 So he said to his servants, “This man is really John the Baptizer. He must have risen from death, and that is why he can do these miracles.”

How John the Baptizer Was Killed

3 Before this time, Herod had arrested John. He had him chained and put in prison. He arrested John because of Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. 4 John had told him, “It is not right for you to be married to Herodias.” 5 Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the people. They believed that John was a prophet.

6 On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for him and his group. Herod was very pleased with her. 7 So he promised that he would give her anything she wanted. 8 Herodias told her daughter what to ask for. So she said to Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptizer here on this plate.”

9 King Herod was very sad. But he had promised to give the daughter anything she wanted. And the people eating with Herod had heard his promise. So he ordered what she asked to be done. 10 He sent men to the prison, where they cut off John’s head. 11 And the men brought John’s head on a plate and gave it to the girl. Then she took the head to her mother, Herodias. 12 John’s followers came and got his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what happened.

Jesus Feeds More Than 5000 ( B )

13 When Jesus heard what happened to John, he left in a boat. He went alone to a place where no one lived. But the people heard that Jesus had left. So they left their towns and followed him. They went by land to the same place he went. 14 When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd of people. He felt sorry for them, and he healed the ones who were sick.

15 Late that afternoon, the followers came to Jesus and said, “No one lives in this place. And it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the towns and buy food for themselves.”

16 Jesus said, “The people don’t need to go away. You give them some food to eat.”

17 The followers answered, “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish.”

18 Jesus said, “Bring the bread and the fish to me.” 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish. He looked into the sky and thanked God for the food. Then he broke the bread into pieces, which he gave to the followers, and they gave the food to the people. 20 Everyone ate until they were full. When they finished eating, the followers filled twelve baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. 21 There were about 5000 men there who ate. There were also women and children who ate.

Jesus Walks on Water ( C )

22 Then Jesus made the followers get into the boat. He told them to go to the other side of the lake. He said he would come later. He stayed there to tell everyone they could go home. 23 After Jesus said goodbye to the people, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. It was late, and he was there alone. 24 By this time the boat was already a long way from shore. Since the wind was blowing against it, the boat was having trouble because of the waves.

25 Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus’ followers were still in the boat. Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water. 26 When they saw him walking on the water, it scared them. “It’s a ghost!” they said, screaming in fear.

27 But Jesus quickly spoke to them. He said, “Don’t worry! It’s me! Don’t be afraid.”

28 Peter said, “Lord, if that is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 Jesus said, “Come, Peter.”

Then Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. 30 But while Peter was walking on the water, he saw the wind and the waves. He was afraid and began sinking into the water. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”

31 Then Jesus caught Peter with his hand. He said, “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?”

32 After Peter and Jesus were in the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the followers in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “You really are the Son of God.”

Jesus Heals Many Sick People ( D )

34 After they crossed the lake, they came to the shore at Gennesaret. 35 Some men there saw Jesus and knew who he was. So they sent word to the other people throughout that area that Jesus had come. The people brought all their sick people to him. 36 They begged Jesus to let them only touch the edge of his coat to be healed. And all the sick people who touched his coat were healed.

14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,

2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.

4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.

9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.

10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;

36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

John the Baptist Beheaded

14 [ a ] ( A ) At that time [ b ] ( B ) Herod [ c ] the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2 and said to his servants, “ ( C ) This is John the Baptist; he himself has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

3 For when ( D ) Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him ( E ) in prison because of ( F ) Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had been saying to him, “ ( G ) It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded [ d ] John as ( H ) a prophet.

6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of ( I ) Herodias danced [ e ] before them and pleased ( J ) Herod, 7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 And after being prompted by her mother, she *said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths and [ f ] his dinner guests. 10 He sent word and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 [ g ] John’s disciples came and took away the body and buried [ h ] it; and they went and reported to Jesus.

Five Thousand Men Fed

13 ( K ) Now when Jesus heard about John , He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the [ i ] people heard about this , they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 When He came [ j ] ashore, He ( L ) saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and ( M ) healed their sick.

15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is secluded and the hour is already past to eat ; send the crowds away, so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go; you give them something to eat!” 17 They *said to Him, “We have nothing here except ( N ) five loaves and two fish.” 18 And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 And ordering the crowds to [ k ] sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looked up toward heaven. He ( O ) blessed the food and breaking the loaves, He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces: twelve full ( P ) baskets. 21 There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 ( Q ) Immediately afterward He compelled the disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, ( R ) He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already [ l ] a long distance from the land, [ m ] battered by the waves; for the wind was [ n ] ( S ) contrary. 25 And in ( T ) the [ o ] fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is ( U ) a ghost!” And they cried out [ p ] in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ( V ) Take courage, [ q ] it is I; ( W ) do not be afraid.”

28 Peter responded and said to Him, “Lord, if [ r ] it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out with His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, ( X ) You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are truly ( Y ) God’s Son!”

34 ( Z ) When they had crossed over, they came to land at ( AA ) Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place [ s ] recognized Him, they sent word into all that surrounding region and brought to Him all who were sick; 36 and they pleaded with Him that they might just touch ( AB ) the [ t ] border of His cloak; and all who ( AC ) touched it were cured.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 14:1 Or On that occasion
  2. Matthew 14:1 I.e., Herod Antipas
  3. Matthew 14:1 I.e., a regional ruler
  4. Matthew 14:5 Lit him
  5. Matthew 14:6 Lit in the midst
  6. Matthew 14:9 Lit those who reclined at the table with him
  7. Matthew 14:12 Lit his
  8. Matthew 14:12 Lit him
  9. Matthew 14:13 Lit the crowds
  10. Matthew 14:14 Lit out
  11. Matthew 14:19 Lit recline
  12. Matthew 14:24 Lit many stadia from ; a Roman stadion perhaps averaged 607 ft. or 185 m
  13. Matthew 14:24 Lit tormented
  14. Matthew 14:24 Or adverse
  15. Matthew 14:25 I.e., 3-6 a.m.
  16. Matthew 14:26 Lit from
  17. Matthew 14:27 Lit I am
  18. Matthew 14:28 Lit You are
  19. Matthew 14:35 Or found out about
  20. Matthew 14:36 Or tassel ; i.e., a ritual tassel sewn to corners of garments for Jewish men

John the Baptist Beheaded ( A )

14 At that time Herod ( B ) the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, ( C ) 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; ( D ) he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison ( E ) because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, ( F ) 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ( G ) 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet. ( H )

6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded ( I ) in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. ( J ) Then they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand ( K ) ( L )

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them ( M ) and healed their sick. ( N )

15 As evening approached, 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 themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves ( O ) of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. ( P ) Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water ( Q ) ( R )

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. ( S ) Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” ( T ) they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! ( U ) It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ( V )

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” ( W ) he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” ( X )

34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, ( Y ) and all who touched it were healed.