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Jesus went away from there and came to His [own] country and hometown [Nazareth], and His disciples followed [with] Him.

And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who listened to Him were utterly astonished, saying, Where did this [a]Man acquire all this? What is the wisdom [the broad and full intelligence which has been] given to Him? What mighty works and exhibitions of power are wrought by His hands!

Is not this the Carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not His sisters here among us? And they took offense at Him and [b]were hurt [that is, they [c]disapproved of Him, and it hindered them from acknowledging His authority] and they were caused to stumble and fall.

But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor (deference, reverence) except in his [own] country and among [his] relatives and in his [own] house.

And He was not able to do [d]even one work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly people [and] cured them.

And He marveled because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in Him). And He went about among the surrounding villages and continued teaching.

And He called to Him the Twelve [apostles] and began to send them out [as His ambassadors] two by two and gave them authority and power over the unclean spirits.

He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no bread, [e]no wallet for a collection bag, no money in their belts (girdles, purses)—

But to go with sandals on their feet and not to put on two tunics (undergarments).

10 And He told them, Wherever you go into a house, stay there until you leave that place.

11 And if any community will not receive and accept and welcome you, and they refuse to listen to you, when you depart, shake off the dust that is on your feet, for a testimony against them. [f]Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the judgment day than for that town.

12 So they went out and preached that men should repent [[g]that they should change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins].

13 And they drove out many unclean spirits and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

14 King Herod heard of it, for [Jesus’] name had become well known. [h]He and they [of his court] said, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; that is why these mighty powers [[i]of performing miracles] are at work in Him.

15 [But] others kept saying, It is Elijah! And others said, It is a prophet, like one of the prophets [of old].

16 But when Herod heard [of it], he said, [[j]This very] John, whom I beheaded, has been raised [from the dead].

17 For [this] Herod himself had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he [Herod] had married her.

18 For John had told Herod, It is not lawful and you have no right to have your brother’s wife.

19 And Herodias was angry (enraged) with him and held a grudge against him and wanted to kill him; but she could not,

20 For Herod had [[k]a reverential] fear of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and [continually] kept him safe [[l]under guard]. When he heard [John speak], he was much perplexed; and [yet] he heard him gladly.

21 But an opportune time came [for Herodias] when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and the high military commanders and chief men of Galilee.

22 For when the daughter [m]of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased and [n]fascinated Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, Ask me for whatever you desire, and I will give it to you.

23 And he put himself under oath to her, Whatever you ask me, I will give it to you, even to the half of my kingdom.(A)

24 Then she left the room and said to her mother, What shall I ask for [myself]? And she replied, The head of John the Baptist!

25 And she rushed back instantly to the king and requested, saying, I wish you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

26 And the king was deeply pained and grieved and exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to slight her [by breaking faith with her].

27 And immediately the king sent off one [of the soldiers] of his bodyguard and gave him orders to bring [John’s] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison

28 And brought his head on a platter and handed it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When his disciples learned of it, they came and took [John’s] body and laid it in a tomb.

30 The apostles [sent out as missionaries] came back and gathered together to Jesus, and told Him all that they had done and taught.

31 And He said to them, [[o]As for you] come away by yourselves to a deserted place, and rest a while—for many were [continually] coming and going, and they had not even leisure enough to eat.

32 And they went away in a boat to a solitary place by themselves.

33 Now many [people] saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the surrounding towns, and they got there ahead [of those in the boat].

34 As Jesus landed, He saw a great crowd waiting, and He was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

35 And when [p]the day was already far gone, His disciples came to Him and said, This is a desolate and isolated place, and the hour is now late.

36 Send the crowds away to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat.

37 But He replied to them, Give them something to eat yourselves. And they said to Him, Shall we go and buy 200 [q]denarii [about forty dollars] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?(B)

38 And He said to them, How many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they [had looked and] knew, they said, Five [loaves] and two fish.

39 Then He commanded the people all to recline on the green grass by companies.

40 So they threw themselves down in ranks of hundreds and fifties [with the [r]regularity of an arrangement of beds of herbs, looking [s]like so many garden plots].

41 And taking the five loaves and two fish, He looked up to heaven and, praising God, gave thanks and broke the loaves and kept on giving them to the disciples to set before the people; and He [also] divided the two fish among [them] all.

42 And they all ate and were satisfied.

43 And they took up twelve [[t]small hand] baskets full of broken pieces [from the loaves] and of the fish.

44 And those who ate the loaves were 5,000 men.

45 And at once He insisted that the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He was sending the throng away.

46 And after He had taken leave of them, He went off into the hills to pray.

47 Now when evening had come, the boat was out in the middle of the lake, and He was by Himself on the land.

48 And having seen that they were troubled and tormented in [their] rowing, for the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night [between 3:00-6:00 a.m.] He came to them, walking [directly] on the sea. And He acted as if He meant to pass by them,

49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and [u]raised a [deep, throaty] shriek of terror.

50 For they all saw Him and were agitated (troubled and filled with fear and dread). But immediately He talked with them and said, Take heart! I Am! Stop being alarmed and afraid.(C)

51 And He went up into the boat with them, and the wind ceased ([v]sank to rest as if exhausted by its own beating). And they were astonished exceedingly [beyond measure],

52 For they failed to consider or understand [the teaching and meaning of the miracle of] the loaves; [in fact] their hearts had [w]grown callous [had become dull and had [x]lost the power of understanding].

53 And when they had crossed over, they reached the land of Gennesaret and [y]came to [anchor at] the shore.

54 As soon as they got out of the boat, [the people] recognized Him,

55 And they ran about the whole countryside, and began to carry around sick people on their sleeping pads or mats to any place where they heard that He was.

56 And wherever He came into villages or cities or the country, they would lay the sick in the marketplaces and beg Him that they might touch even the fringe of His outer garment, and as many as touched Him were restored to health.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 6:2 Capitalized because of what He is, the spotless Son of God, not what the speakers may have thought He was.
  2. Mark 6:3 William Tyndale, The Tyndale Bible.
  3. Mark 6:3 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
  4. Mark 6:5 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
  5. Mark 6:8 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary.
  6. Mark 6:11 Some manuscripts do not contain the last section of verse 11.
  7. Mark 6:12 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  8. Mark 6:14 Some ancient manuscripts read “he,” while others read “they.”
  9. Mark 6:14 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  10. Mark 6:16 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  11. Mark 6:20 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  12. Mark 6:20 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  13. Mark 6:22 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
  14. Mark 6:22 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
  15. Mark 6:31 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
  16. Mark 6:35 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
  17. Mark 6:37 The usual pay for a day’s work was one denarius.
  18. Mark 6:40 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary.
  19. Mark 6:40 Richard Trench, Notes on the Miracles of our Lord.
  20. Mark 6:43 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies. See also footnote on Matt. 14:20.
  21. Mark 6:49 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  22. Mark 6:51 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  23. Mark 6:52 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  24. Mark 6:52 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  25. Mark 6:53 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.

A Prophet Without Honor(A)

Jesus left there and went to his hometown,(B) accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came,(C) he began to teach in the synagogue,(D) and many who heard him were amazed.(E)

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon?(F) Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.(G)

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”(H) He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on(I) a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(J)

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.(K) Calling the Twelve to him,(L) he began to send them out two by two(M) and gave them authority over impure spirits.(N)

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet(O) as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent.(P) 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil(Q) and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded(R)(S)

14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,[b] “John the Baptist(T) has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”(U)

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet,(V) like one of the prophets of long ago.”(W)

16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.(X) He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”(Y) 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.(Z) When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[c]; yet he liked to listen to him.

21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet(AA) for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.(AB) 22 When the daughter of[d] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”(AC)

24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand(AD)(AE)

30 The apostles(AF) gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.(AG) 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat,(AH) he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat(AI) to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.(AJ) So he began teaching them many things.

35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”(AK)

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages[e]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”(AL)

39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.(AM) Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Jesus Walks on the Water(AN)(AO)

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat(AP) and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida,(AQ) while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.(AR)

47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost.(AS) They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”(AT) 51 Then he climbed into the boat(AU) with them, and the wind died down.(AV) They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.(AW)

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.(AX) 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak,(AY) and all who touched it were healed.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 6:3 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph
  2. Mark 6:14 Some early manuscripts He was saying
  3. Mark 6:20 Some early manuscripts he did many things
  4. Mark 6:22 Some early manuscripts When his daughter
  5. Mark 6:37 Greek take two hundred denarii