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.