Mark 6:15-30

¹⁵Others again said — “He is Elijah,” and others — “He is a prophet, like one of the great prophets.”

¹⁶But when Herod heard of him, he said — “The man whom I beheaded — John — he must be risen!”

¹⁷For Herod himself had sent and arrested John, and put him in prison, in chains, to please Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because Herod had married her.

¹⁸For John had said to Herod — “You have no right to be living with your brother's wife.”

¹⁹So Herodias was incensed against John, and wanted to put him to death, but was unable to do so,

²⁰because Herod stood in fear of John, knowing him to be an upright and holy man, and protected him. He had listened to John, but still remained much perplexed, and yet he found pleasure in listening to him.

²¹A suitable opportunity, however, occurred when Herod, on his birthday, gave a dinner to his high officials, and his generals, and the foremost men in Galilee.

²²When his daughter — that is, the daughter of Herodias — came in and danced, she delighted Herod and those who were dining with him. “Ask me for whatever you like,” the king said to the girl, “and I will give it to you”;

²³and he swore to her that he would give her whatever she asked him — up to half his kingdom.

²⁴The girl went out, and said to her mother “What must I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptizer,” answered her mother.

²⁵So she went in as quickly as possible to the king, and made her request. “I want you,” she said, “to give me at once, on a dish, the head of John the Baptist.”

²⁶The king was much distressed; yet, because of his oath and of the guests at his table, he did not like to refuse her.

²⁷He immediately dispatched one of his bodyguard, with orders to bring John's head. The man went and beheaded John in the prison,

²⁸and, bringing his head on a dish, gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

²⁹When John's disciples heard of it, they came and took his body away, and laid it in a tomb.

³⁰When the apostles came back to Jesus, they told him all that they had done and all that they had taught.