14:1 AT THAT time Herod the governor heard the reports about Jesus, |
14:2 And he said to his attendants, This is John the Baptist; He has been raised from the dead, and that is why the powers of performing miracles are at work in Him. |
14:3 For Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison [to stow him out of the way] on account {and} for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, |
14:4 For John had said to him, It is not lawful {or} right for you to have her. |
14:5 Although he wished to have him put to death, he was afraid of the people, for they regarded John as a prophet. |
14:6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst [before the company] and pleased {and} fascinated Herod, |
14:7 And so he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. |
14:8 And she, being put forward {and} prompted by her mother, said, Give me the head of John the Baptist right here on a platter. |
14:9 And the king was distressed {and} sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered it to be given her; |
14:10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. |
14:11 And his head was brought in on a platter and given to the little maid, and she brought it to her mother. |
14:12 And John's disciples came and took up the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. |
14:13 When Jesus heard it, He withdrew from there privately in a boat to a solitary place. But when the crowds heard of it, they followed Him [by land] on foot from the towns. |
14:14 When He went ashore and saw a great throng of people, He had compassion (pity and deep sympathy) for them and cured their sick. |
14:15 When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, This is a remote {and} barren place, and the day is now over; send the throngs away into the villages to buy food for themselves. |
14:16 Jesus said, They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat. |
14:17 They said to Him, We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish. |
14:18 He said, Bring them here to Me. |
14:19 Then He ordered the crowds to recline on the grass; and He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He gave thanks {and} blessed and broke the loaves and handed the pieces to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. |
14:20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve [small hand] baskets full of the broken pieces left over. |
14:21 And those who ate were about 5,000 men, not including women and children. |
14:22 Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds. |
14:23 And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone. |
14:24 But the boat was by this time out on the sea, {many furlongs} [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] {distant from the land,} beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them. |
14:25 And in the fourth watch [between 3:00--6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. |
14:26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. |
14:27 But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! |
14:28 And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. |
14:29 He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. |
14:30 But when he perceived {and} felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! |
14:31 Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught {and} held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? |
14:32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. |
14:33 And those in the boat knelt and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God! |
14:34 And when they had crossed over to the other side, they went ashore at Gennesaret. |
14:35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent around into all the surrounding country and brought to Him all who were sick |
14:36 And begged Him to let them merely touch the fringe of His garment; and as many as touched it were perfectly restored. |