Chapter Six
And he went out from there and came into his own country, and his disciples follow him. And the Sabbath being come he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing were astonished saying,
“From where does this man have these things? And what wisdom has been given to him that also such powerful works are performed by his hands? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and of Juda and of Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?
And they were offended by him.
But Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and among his relatives and in his own house.”
And there he could not do any powerful work except having laid his hands on a few sick people he healed them. And he wondered because of their unbelief. And he went round the villages in a circuit, teaching.
And he calls the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. And he commanded them that they should take nothing for the way except a staff only; no provision bag, no bread, nor money in their belt, but be shod with sandals and not put on two coats.
And he said to them,
“Wherever you go into a house, stay there until you depart from that place. And whoever will neither receive you nor hear you, departing from there, shake off the dust which is under your feet for a testimony to them. Truly I’m telling you, it’ll be more tolerable for Sodom or Gomorrha in the day of judgement than for that town!”
And having gone out they preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons and annointed with oil many sick, and healed them.
And King Herod heard, for his name became famous, and he said,
“John the Baptist has risen from the dead and because of this, powerful works operate in him!”
Others said, “It is Elias.”
And others said, “It’s a prophet or like one of the prophets.”
But having heard, Herod said,
“It’s John, whom I beheaded, he’s risen from the dead!”
For Herod himself, having sent, had seized John and bound him in the prison, because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her.
For John had said to Herod,
“It isn’t lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”
But Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him but could not, for Herod was afraid of John, knowing him a just and holy man and kept him safe, and, having heard him, he did a lot of things and heard him gladly.
And when an opportune day arrived, when Herod on his birthday made a supper for his great men and for the chief captains and first men of Galilee, and the daughter of Herodias herself having come in and having danced and pleased Herod and those reclining with him, the king said to the girl,
“Ask me whatever you want and I’ll give to you!”
And he swore to her,
“Whatever you ask I’ll give you, up to half of my kingdom!”
And having gone out she said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
“And she said,
“The head of John the Baptist!”
And having gone in at once with haste to the king, she asked, saying,
“I want you to give me immediately, on a plate, the head of John the Baptist!”
And the king became very sad but because of the oaths and those who reclined with him he would not refuse her. And the king, having at once sent a bodyguard, ordered his head to be brought. And he, having departed, beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a plate, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
And, having heard, his disciples came and took up his corpse and laid it in the tomb.
And the apostles gathered together before Jesus and told him everything, both what they had done and what they had taught.
And he said to them,
“You yourselves come aside into a desert place and rest a little.”
For there were many coming and going and they did not even have a chance to eat. And they went away into a desert place, by boat, on their own. And the crowds saw them leaving and many recognized him and ran there together on foot from all the towns, and came before them and came together to him. And Jesus having come out, saw a great crowd and took pity on them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.
And it being already a late hour, his disciples coming to him say,
“This place is a desert and it’s already late, send them away so that having gone to the surrounding country and villages they may buy themselves bread, because they haven’t got anything to eat!”
But he answering said to them,
“You give them to eat!”
And they say to him,
“Shall we go and buy two hundred pence of bread and give them to eat?”
And he says to them,
“How many loaves have you got? Go and look!”
And having found out they say,
“Five, and two fish!”
And he instructed them to make everyone recline in groups on the green grass. And they sat down in groups of hundreds, and fifties. And having taken the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave to his disciples so that they might set before them. And the two fish he divided among everyone.
And they all ate and were satisfied.
And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and from the fish. And those who ate of the loaves were about five thousand men.
And immediately he compelled his disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he sent the crowd away.
And, having sent them away, he departed into the mountain to pray.
And evening being come, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he alone on the land. And he saw them working hard at rowing, for the wind was against them, and about the fourth watch of the night he comes to them, walking on the sea and would have passed by them, but they, seeing him walking on the sea, thought it to be a ghost and cried out, for all saw him and were upset.
And at once he spoke to them, and says to them,
“Take courage, it’s me, don’t be afraid!”
And he went up to them in the boat, and the wind stopped. And they were absolutely amazed beyond measure, and they wondered, for they did not understand by the loaves, for their heart was hardened.
And having crossed over they came to the land of Gennesaret and approached the shore. And on their coming out of the boat, at once, having recognized them, running through all the surrounding country they began to carry about in beds those who were ill, to where they heard he was. And wherever he entered, into villages or towns or hamlets, they laid those who were ill in the market places and begged him if they might touch but the border of his clothes. And as many as touched him were healed.
