1 He left there and went into his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were amazed and said, "Where does this man get these things? What is this wisdom given to him, that such miracles are even performed by his hands?
3 Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are his sisters not here with us?" And they stumbled over him.
4 But Jesus told them, "Nowhere is a prophet without honor except in his own hometown, among his own relatives, and in his own house."
5 He was not able to do any miracle there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them.
6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around the villages in a circuit, teaching.
7 He summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
8 He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff only: no bag, no bread, no copper money in their belts,
9 but to have sandals tied on, and not to wear two tunics.
10 He told them, "Whenever you go into a house, stay there until you leave that place.
11 And whoever will not welcome you or hear you, as you go out from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it will be easier to endure for Sodom or Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that town."
12 They went out and preached that people must repent.
13 They drove out many demons, and they anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
14 King Herod heard of it, for his name had become well known; and he said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and for this reason the miraculous powers are active in him."
15 Others were saying, "He is Elijah," and still others, "He is a prophet, or like one of the prophets."
16 When Herod heard of it, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead."
17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.
18 For John kept telling Herod, "You are not permitted to have your brother's wife."
19 So Herodias had it in for him and wanted to kill him, but she could not,
20 because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he listened to him, he did many things, and he heard him gladly.
21 Then a convenient day came, when Herod on his birthday gave a dinner for his officials, the military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.
22 When the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I will give it to you."
23 And he swore to her, "Whatever you ask me for, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom."
24 She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother said, "The head of John the Baptist."
25 At once she hurried back in to the king and made her request: "I want you to give me right now, on a platter, the head of John the Baptist."
26 The king was deeply distressed, but on account of the oaths and his dinner guests he did not want to turn her down.
27 Right away the king sent an executioner and ordered his head to be brought.
28 He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
29 When his disciples heard about it, they came, took away his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him everything, both what they had done and what they had taught.
31 He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest for a little while." For many were coming and going, and they had no opportunity even to eat.
32 So they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
33 But the crowds saw them leaving, and many recognized him; they ran there together on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them, and gathered around him.
34 As he came out, Jesus saw a large crowd, and he was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep that have no shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
35 When the hour was already late, his disciples came to him and said, "This place is deserted, and the hour is already late.
36 Dismiss them so they can go off into the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."
37 He answered them, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?"
38 He asked them, "How many loaves have you got? Go and see." When they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish."
39 Then he directed them to have everyone recline in groups on the green grass.
40 So they reclined in groups, row upon row, by hundreds and by fifties.
41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave a blessing; then he broke the loaves and kept handing them to his disciples to set before the people, and he divided the two fish among them all.
42 Everyone ate and was filled.
43 And they picked up twelve full baskets of fragments, and of the fish.
44 Those who had eaten the loaves numbered about five thousand men.
45 Right away he compelled his disciples to board the boat and go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away.
46 After saying goodbye to them, he went off to the mountain to pray.
47 And when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.
48 He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them; and around the fourth watch of the night he came toward them, walking on the sea, and he intended to pass by them.
49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a phantom, and they screamed;
50 for they all saw him and were shaken. At once he spoke with them and said to them, "Have courage; it is I. Stop being afraid."
51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And they were utterly astounded within themselves beyond measure, and they wondered.
52 For they had not understood about the loaves; their heart was hardened.
53 Having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.
54 As soon as they stepped out of the boat, the people recognized him,
55 and they ran throughout that whole region and began carrying the sick around on mats to wherever they heard he was.
56 And wherever he went, into villages or towns or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and pleaded with him that they might just touch the edge of his cloak; and all who touched him were restored.