Feeding of the Five Thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard about it,^(A) he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore,^[a] he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick.^(B)

¹⁵ When evening came, the disciples^(C) approached him and said, “This place is deserted, and it is already late.^[b] Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶ “They don’t need to go away,” Jesus told them. “You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ “But we only have five loaves and two fish here,” they said to him.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ Then he commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.^{(D) 20} Everyone ate and was satisfied. They picked up twelve baskets full of leftover pieces.^{(E) 21} Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Feeding of the Five Thousand

¹⁰ When the apostles returned,^(A) they reported to Jesus all that they had done.^(B) He took them along and withdrew privately to a^[a] town called Bethsaida.^{(C) 11} When the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them,^(D) spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

¹² Late in the day,^(E) the Twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowd away,^(F) so that they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”

¹³ “You give them something to eat,” he told them.

“We have no more than five loaves^(G) and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ (For about five thousand men were there.)

Then he told his disciples, “Have them sit down^[b] in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ They did what he said, and had them all sit down. ¹⁶ Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,^(H) he blessed and broke them.^(I) He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

The Fourth Sign: Feeding of the Five Thousand

6 After^(A) this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee^(B) (or Tiberias^(C)). ² A huge crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick. ³ Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

⁴ Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. ⁵ So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward him,^(D) he asked Philip,^(E) “Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?” ⁶ He asked this to test him,^(F) for he himself knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii^[a](G) worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.”

⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew,^(H) Simon^(I) Peter’s^(J) brother, said to him, ⁹ “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”

There was plenty of grass in that place; so they sat down. The men numbered about five thousand.^{(K) 11} Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks he distributed them to those who were seated—so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.^(L)

¹² When they were full, he told his disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.”^{(M) 13} So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ When the people saw the sign^[b] he had done, they said, “This truly is the Prophet^(N) who is to come^(O) into the world.”^(P)

¹⁵ Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,^(Q) he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.