Mark 6:19-41

¹⁹But Herodias kept it in her mind against him, and wished to kill him, and could not:

²⁰for Herod feared John knowing that he was a just and holy man, and kept him safe; and having heard him, did many things, and heard him gladly.

²¹And a holiday being come, when Herod, on his birthday, made a supper to his grandees, and to the chiliarchs, and the chief men of Galilee;

²²and the daughter of the same Herodias having come in, and danced, pleased Herod and those that were with him at table; and the king said to the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt and I will give it thee.

²³And he swore to her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask me I will give thee, to half of my kingdom.

²⁴And she went out, and said to her mother, What should I ask? And she said, The head of John the baptist.

²⁵And immediately going in with haste to the king, she asked saying, I desire that thou give me directly upon a dish the head of John the baptist.

²⁶And the king, while made very sorry, on account of the oaths and those lying at table with him would not break his word with her.

²⁷And immediately the king, having sent one of the guard, ordered his head to be brought. And he went out and beheaded him in the prison,

²⁸and brought his head upon a dish, and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother.

²⁹And his disciples having heard it, came and took up his body, and laid it in a tomb.

³⁰And the apostles are gathered together to Jesus. And they related to him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.

³¹And he said to them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a little. For those coming and those going were many, and they had not leisure even to eat.

³²And they went away apart into a desert place by ship.

³³And many saw them going, and recognised them, and ran together there on foot, out of all the cities, and got there before them.

³⁴And on leaving the ship Jesus saw a great crowd, and he was moved with compassion for them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

³⁵And when it was already late in the day, his disciples coming to him say, The place is desert, and it is already late in the day;

³⁶send them away that they may go into the country and villages around, and buy themselves bread, for they have not anything they can eat.

³⁷And he answering said to them, Give ye them to eat. And they say to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them to eat?

³⁸And he says to them, How many loaves have ye? Go and see. And when they knew they say, Five, and two fishes.

³⁹And he ordered them to make them all sit down by companies on the green grass.

⁴⁰And they sat down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties.

⁴¹And having taken the five loaves and the two fishes, looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples that they might set them before them. And the two fishes he divided among all.