The Death of John the Baptist

1 ^uAt that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, ^v“This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,¹ 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not ^wlawful for you to have her.” 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a ^xprophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And ^ythe king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent 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 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13 ^zNow when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had ^acompassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ^bate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 ^cImmediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, ^dhe went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way² from the land,³ beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night⁴ he came to them, ^ewalking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ^fghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; ^git is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,⁵ he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, ^hwhy did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ⁱceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the ^jSon of God.”

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

34 ^kAnd when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only ^ltouch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Traditions and Commandments

1 ^mThen Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the ⁿtradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ^o‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^p‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”⁶ 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word⁷ of God. 7 You hypocrites! ^qWell did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

What Defiles a Person

10 ^tAnd he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 ^uit is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, ^vbut what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every ^wplant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be ^xrooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are ^yblind guides.⁸ And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, ^z“Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?⁹ 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 ^aFor out of the ^bheart come evil thoughts, ^cmurder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 ^dAnd ^eJesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, ^fSon of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the ^glost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and ^hthrow it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the ⁱcrumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you ^jas you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.¹⁰

Jesus Heals Many

29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the ^klame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd ^lwondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they ^mglorified the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

32 ⁿThen Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have ^ocompassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ^pate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath

1 After this there was ^ha feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the ⁱSheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic¹ called Bethesda,² which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.³ 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, ^jtake up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

^kNow that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews⁴ said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and ^lit is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! ^mSin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were ⁿpersecuting Jesus, ^obecause he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Jesus Is Equal with God

18 This was why the Jews were ^pseeking all the more ^qto kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, ^rmaking himself ^sequal with God.

The Authority of the Son

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^tthe Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For ^uwhatever the Father⁵ does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For ^vthe Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And ^wgreater works than these will he show him, so that you may ^xmarvel. 21 For as the Father ^yraises the dead and ^zgives them life, so also the Son ^agives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but ^bhas given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may ^chonor the Son, just as they honor the Father. ^dWhoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and ^ebelieves him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has ^fpassed from death to life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^gan hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will ^hhear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, ⁱso he has granted the Son also to have life ^jin himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, ^kbecause he is the Son of Man. 28 ^lDo not marvel at this, for an hour is coming ^mwhen all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, ⁿthose who have done good to the resurrection of ^olife, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Witnesses to Jesus

30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and ^pmy judgment is just, because I seek ^qnot my own will but ^rthe will of him who sent me. 31 If I ^salone ^tbear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 You ^usent to John, and he has ^vborne witness to the ^wtruth. 34 Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may ^xbe saved. 35 He was a burning and ^yshining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me ^zto accomplish, the very works that I am doing, ^abear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself ^bborne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, ^chis form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word ^dabiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has ^esent. 39 You ^fsearch the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that ^gbear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to ^hcome to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God ⁱwithin you. 43 I have come ^jin my Father’s name, and you ^kdo not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive ^lglory from one another and do not ^mseek the ⁿglory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, ^oon whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for ^phe wrote of me. 47 But ^qif you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

1 ^rAfter this Jesus went away to the other side of the ^sSea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw ^tthe signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 ^uNow the Passover, ^vthe feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ^w“Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, ^x“Two hundred ^ydenarii⁶ worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had ^zeaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ^a“This is indeed ^bthe Prophet who is to come into the world!”

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Jesus Walks on Water

16 ^cWhen evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles,⁷ they saw Jesus ^dwalking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, ^e“It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 ^fThen they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

I Am the Bread of Life

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the ^gLord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, ^hseeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not ⁱbecause you saw signs, but ^jbecause you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his ^kseal.” 28 Then they said to him, ^l“What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, ^m“This is the work of God, ⁿthat you ^obelieve in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then ^pwhat sign do you do, that we may ^qsee and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the ^rmanna in the wilderness; as it is written, ^s‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the ^ttrue bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who ^ucomes down from heaven and ^vgives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, ^wgive us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, ^x“I am the bread of life; whoever ^ycomes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me ^zshall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father ^agives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, ^bnot to do my own will but ^cthe will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, ^dthat I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that ^eeveryone who looks on the Son and ^fbelieves in him should have eternal life, and I will ^graise him up on the last day.”

41 So ^hthe Jews ⁱgrumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, ^j“Is not this Jesus, ^kthe son of Joseph, whose father and mother ^lwe know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ^m‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 ⁿnot that anyone has ^oseen the Father except he who is ^pfrom God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, ^qwhoever believes has eternal life. 48 ^rI am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”