Mark 6:3-21

³Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? And aren't his sisters, too, living here among us?” This proved a hindrance to their believing in him;

⁴at which Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his home town, and among his own relatives, and in his own home.”

⁵And he could not work any miracle there, beyond placing his hands on a few infirm persons, and curing them;

⁶and he wondered at the want of faith shown by the people. Jesus went around the villages, one after another, teaching.

⁷He called the Twelve to him, and began to send them out as his messengers, two and two, and gave them authority over foul spirits.

⁸He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey — not even bread, or a bag, or coins in their purse;

⁹but they were to wear sandals, and not to put on a second coat.

¹⁰“Whenever you go to stay at a house,” he said, “remain there until you leave that place;

¹¹and if a place does not welcome you, or listen to you, as you go out of it shake off the dust that is on the soles of your feet, as a protest against them.”

¹²So they set out, and proclaimed the need of repentance.

¹³They drove out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were infirm, and cured them.

¹⁴Now King Herod heard of Jesus; for his name had become well known. People were saying — “John the Baptizer must have risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are active in him.”

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.