Mark 6:1–56

¹And he departed from there and came into his home territory, and his disciples followed him.²When it became sabbath, he started teaching in the synagogue; and the greater number of those listening were astounded and said: “Where did this man get these things? And why should this wisdom have been given this man, and such powerful works be performed through his hands?³This is the carpenter the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon, is it not? And his sisters are here with us, are they not?” So they began to stumble at him.⁴But Jesus went on to say to them: “A prophet is not unhonored except in his home territory and among his relatives and in his own house.”⁵So he was able to do no powerful work there except to lay his hands upon a few sickly ones and cure them.⁶Indeed, he wondered at their lack of faith. And he went round about to the villages in a circuit, teaching.

⁷Now he summoned the twelve, and he initiated sending them out two by two, and he began to give them authority over the unclean spirits.⁸Also, he gave them orders to carry nothing for the trip except a staff alone, no bread, no food pouch, no copper money in their girdle purses,⁹but to bind on sandals, and not to wear two undergarments.¹⁰Further, he said to them: “Wherever ​YOU​ enter into a home, stay there until ​YOU​ go out of that place.¹¹And wherever a place will not receive ​YOU​ nor hear ​YOU, on going out from there shake off the dirt that is beneath ​YOUR​ feet for a witness to them.”¹²So they set out and preached in order that people might repent;¹³and they would expel many demons and grease many sickly people with oil and cure them.

¹⁴Now it got to the ears of King Herod, for the name of [Jesus] became public, and people were saying: “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and on that account the powerful works are operating in him.”¹⁵But others were saying: “It is E‧li′jah.” Still others were saying: “It is a prophet like one of the prophets.”¹⁶But when Herod heard it he began to say: “The John that I beheaded, this one has been raised up.”¹⁷For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John and bound him in prison on account of He‧ro′di‧as the wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her.¹⁸For John had repeatedly said to Herod: “It is not lawful for you to be having the wife of your brother.”¹⁹But He‧ro′di‧as was nursing a grudge against him and was wanting to kill him, but could not.²⁰For Herod stood in fear of John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man; and he was keeping him safe. And after hearing him he was at a great loss what to do, yet he continued to hear him gladly.

²¹But a convenient day came along when Herod spread an evening meal on his birthday for his top‐ranking men and the military commanders and the foremost ones of Gal′i‧lee.²²And the daughter of this very He‧ro′di‧as came in and danced and pleased Herod and those reclining with him. The king said to the maiden: “Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”²³Yes, he swore to her: “Whatever you ask me for, I will give it to you, up to half my kingdom.”²⁴And she went out and said to her mother: “What should I ask for?” She said: “The head of John the baptizer.”²⁵Immediately she went in with haste to the king and made her request, saying: “I want you to give me right away on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”²⁶Although he became deeply grieved, yet the king did not want to disregard her, in view of the oaths and those reclining at the table.²⁷So the king immediately dispatched a body guardsman and commanded him to bring his head. And he went off and beheaded him in the prison²⁸and brought his head on a platter, and he gave it to the maiden, and the maiden gave it to her mother.²⁹When his disciples heard of it they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a memorial tomb.

³⁰And the apostles gathered together before Jesus and reported to him all the things they had done and taught.³¹And he said to them: “Come, ​YOU​ yourselves, privately into a lonely place and rest up a bit.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure time even to eat a meal.³²So off they went in the boat for a lonely place to themselves.³³But people saw them going and many got to know it, and from all the cities they ran there together on foot and got ahead of them.³⁴Well, on getting out, he saw a great crowd, but he was moved with pity for them, because they were as sheep without a shepherd. And he started to teach them many things.

³⁵By now the hour had grown late, and his disciples came up to him and began to say: “The place is isolated, and the hour is already late.³⁶Send them away, that they may go off into the countryside and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat.”³⁷In reply he said to them: “YOU​ give them something to eat.” At this they said to him: “Shall we go off and buy two hundred de‧nar′i‧i worth of loaves and give [them] to the people to eat?”³⁸He said to them: “How many loaves have ​YOU? Go see!” After ascertaining it, they said: “Five, besides two fishes.”³⁹And he instructed all the people to recline by companies on the green grass.⁴⁰And they laid themselves down in groups of a hundred and of fifty.⁴¹Taking now the five loaves and the two fishes he looked up to heaven and said a blessing, and broke the loaves up and began giving them to the disciples, that these might place them before the people; and he divided up the two fishes for all.⁴²So they all ate and were satisfied;⁴³and they took up fragments, twelve baskets full, aside from the fishes.⁴⁴Furthermore, those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

⁴⁵And, without delay, he compelled his disciples to board the boat and go on ahead to the opposite shore toward Beth‧sa′i‧da, while he himself dismissed the crowd.⁴⁶But after saying good‐bye to them he went off into a mountain to pray.⁴⁷Evening having now fallen, the boat was in the midst of the sea, but he was alone on the land.⁴⁸And when he saw them being hard put to it in their rowing, for the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night he came toward them, walking on the sea; but he was inclined to pass them by.⁴⁹At catching sight of him walking on the sea they thought: “It is an apparition!” and they cried aloud.⁵⁰For they all saw him and were troubled. But immediately he spoke with them, and he said to them: “Take courage, it is I; have no fear.”⁵¹And he got up into the boat with them, and the wind abated. At this they were very much amazed within themselves,⁵²for they had not grasped the meaning of the loaves, but their hearts continued dull of understanding.

⁵³And when they got across to land, they came into Gen‧nes′a‧ret and anchored ship nearby.⁵⁴But as soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized him,⁵⁵and they ran around all that region and started to carry about on cots those who were ailing to where they heard he was.⁵⁶And wherever he would enter into villages or cities or countryside they would place the sick ones in the marketplaces, and they would plead with him that they might touch just the fringe of his outer garment. And as many as did touch it were made well.