¹⁴ As He stepped ashore,^[a] He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.^(A)

¹⁵ When evening came, the disciples^(B) approached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness, and it is already late.^[b] Send the crowds away so 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^[c] 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.^{(C) 20} Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces!^{(D) 21} Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.

Feeding 4,000

8 In^(A) those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He summoned^(B) the disciples^(C) and said to them, ² “I have compassion^(D) on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them home hungry,^[a] they will collapse on the way,^(E) and some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples answered Him, “Where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to fill^(F) these people?”

⁵ “How many loaves do you have?” He asked them.

“Seven,” they said. ⁶ Then He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks, broke^(G) the loaves, and kept on giving them to His disciples to set before the people. So they served the loaves to the crowd. ⁷ They also had a few small fish, and when He had blessed them, He said these were to be served as well. ⁸ They ate and were filled. Then they collected seven large baskets of leftover pieces. ⁹ About 4,000 men were there. He dismissed them ¹⁰ and immediately got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.^[b]