\v 1 Jesus went out from there and came into his home town, and his disciples followed him.
\v 2 When the Sabbath day came, he taught them in the synagogue. Many who heard him were shocked. They said, "Where did he get these teachings?" "What is this wisdom that God gave him?" "What are these miracles he does with his hands?"
\v 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are his sisters not here with us?" And they took offense at Jesus.
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\v 4 Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his home town and among his own relatives, and in his own household."
\v 5 He was not able to do any mighty deed there, except he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.
\v 6 Their unbelief amazed him. He went around their villages teaching.
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\v 7 He called the Twelve to him and sent them out, two by two; he gave them authority over the unclean spirits,
\v 8 and he instructed them to take nothing for their journey but a staff. They should take no bread, no beggar's bag, and no money in their belts,
\v 9 but to wear sandals, and not to wear two tunics.
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\v 10 He said, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
\v 11 If any place will not receive you or listen to you, when you leave that place, shake off the dust that is under your feet, for a testimony against them."
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\v 12 They went out and proclaimed that people should turn away from their sins.
\v 13 They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil and healed many sick people.
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\v 14 King Herod heard this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist had been raised from the dead and on account of this, these miraculous powers are at work in him."
\v 15 Some others said, "He is Elijah." Still others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets in ancient times."
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\v 16 But when Herod heard this he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."
\v 17 For Herod himself had sent and arrested John and bound him in prison, because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her.
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\v 18 For John told Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
\v 19 Herodias set herself against John and wanted to kill him. But she could not,
\v 20 for Herod feared John, and he knew that he was a righteous and holy man. So Herod tried to keep him safe. When he heard John preach, his message upset him, and yet he was still glad to hear him.
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\v 21 But a day came that was an opportunity for Herodias to act: on his birthday Herod made a dinner for his officials, his commanders, and the leaders of Galilee.
\v 22 The daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced for them, and she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you."
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\v 23 He swore to her saying, "Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom."
\v 24 She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask him for?" She said, "The head of John the Baptist."
\v 25 She hurried back in the hall to the king and asked him, "I want you to give me at once, upon a platter, the head of John the Baptist."
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\v 26 The king became very sorry, but because of his oaths, and for his guests, he could not refuse her request.
\v 27 So the king sent a soldier from his guard and commanded him to bring him John's head. The guard went and beheaded him in the prison.
\v 28 He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
\v 29 Hearing this, his disciples came and took his corpse and laid it in a tomb.
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\v 30 The apostles gathered together around Jesus, and they told him all that they had done and taught.
\v 31 He said to them, "Come away by yourselves into a deserted place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they took no time apart for leisure, not even time to eat.
\v 32 They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
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\v 33 But many people saw them leave and they recognized them. They ran there together on foot from all the towns, and they arrived there before them.
\v 34 When he came ashore, Jesus saw a great crowd; he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.
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\v 35 When the hour was late, his disciples came to him and said, "This a deserted place and the hour is already late.
\v 36 Dismiss them that they may go into the nearby countryside and into the villages and buy something to eat for themselves."
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\v 37 But he answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "Can we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?"
\v 38 He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five loaves and two fish."
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\v 39 He commanded all the people to sit down in groups upon the green grass.
\v 40 They sat down in groups; groups of hundreds and fifties.
\v 41 As he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. The two fish he divided among them all.
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\v 42 They all ate and until they were satisfied.
\v 43 They took up broken pieces of bread, twelve baskets full, and also pieces of the fish.
\v 44 Now there were five thousand men who ate the loaves.
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\v 45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself should send the crowd away.
\v 46 When they had gone, he then went up on the mountain to pray.
\v 47 Evening came, and the boat was now in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.
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\v 48 He saw that they were straining at the oars, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the lake, and he wanted to pass by them,
\v 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost and they cried out,
\v 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Be brave! It is I! Be not afraid."
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\v 51 He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased blowing; and they were completely amazed at him.
\v 52 For they did not understood about the loaves, but their minds were slow to understand.
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\v 53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and anchored the boat.
\v 54 When they came out of the boat, people immediately recognized it was Jesus.
\v 55 The people ran through the whole region and began to bring the sick on stretchers to him, wherever they heard he was coming.
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\v 56 Wherever he entered into villages, or cities, or into the country, they would put the sick in the marketplaces, and they begged him that they might just touch the fringe of his garment, and as many as touched it were healed.
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