Mark 6
1 And he went out from there and came into his own country, and his disciples followed him.
Jesus left [Capernaum city and went to his hometown, Nazareth]. His disciples went with him.
2 And when the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things?" and, "What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands?
(On the Sabbath/On the Jewish rest day), [he entered] the Jewish worship house and taught [the people]. Many who were listening to him were astonished. [But some] were saying, “[This man is just an ordinary person like we are! So (we cannot believe that] this man [is able to teach us] about these things and that he has been made very wise {that [God] has made him very wise} and that he is performing such miracles![/how is it that] [RHQ] this man [is able to teach us] about these things and that he has been made very wise {that [God] has made him very wise} and that he is performing such miracles?) [RHQ]
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Josi, Judas, and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?" They were offended at him.
([We know that] he is [just an ordinary] carpenter!/Isn’t he [just an ordinary] carpenter [RHQ]?) [We know him and his family! We know] Mary his mother! ([We know] his [younger] brothers James, Joses, Judas and Simon!/Are not his [younger] brothers James, Joses, Judas and Simon?) [RHQ] And (his [younger] sisters also live here in this town!/do not his [younger] sisters also live here in this town?) [RHQ]” So they despised him.
4 Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house."
Jesus [knew that they refused to believe in him]. So he said to them, “[It is certainly true that] people honor [me and other] prophets [in other places, but] not in our hometowns! Even our relatives and the people who live in our own houses do not honor us!”
5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people, and healed them.
[So], although he healed a few sick people there by touching them, he [decided] not to perform many [other] miracles [in Nazareth] because the people there did not believe that he was the Messiah.
6 And he was amazed because of their unbelief. And he went around the villages teaching.
He was amazed that they did not believe [in him]. Mark 6:6b-13 Jesus [and his disciples] went from town to town [in that region] teaching [the people].
7 And he called to himself the twelve, and began to send them out two by two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
[One day] he summoned the twelve [disciples], and then he [told them that] he was going to send them out two-by-two [to teach people in various towns]. He gave them power [to expel] evil spirits [from people].
8 And he commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no pack, no money in their belts,
He also instructed them to wear sandals and to take along a walking stick when they were traveling. He told them not to take food, nor a bag [in which travelers carry supplies], nor any money for their journey. He also did not allow them to take extra clothing. [He wanted the people who heard their message to give them what they needed].
9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
10 And he said to them, "Wherever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there.
He also instructed them, “After you enter a town, [if someone invites you to stay in his house], go into his house. Eat and sleep in that same home until you leave that town.
11 And if any place will not receive you or listen to you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them."
Wherever the people do not welcome you and wherever the people do not listen to you, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave [that place]. By doing that, you will warn them [that God will punish them for rejecting your message].”
12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.
[So] after the disciples went out [to various towns], they were preaching that people should stop their sinful behavior.
13 They cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick, and healed them.
They were also expelling many evil spirits [from people], and they were anointing many sick people with [olive] oil and healing them.
14 King Herod heard this, for his name had become known, and he said, "John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."
[King] Herod [Antipas] heard about [what] Jesus [was doing], because many people were talking [about it. Some] people were saying [about Jesus], “[He must be] John the Baptizer! He has come back to life! That is why he [has God’s] power to perform these miracles!”
15 But others said, "He is Elijah." Others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets."
Others were saying [about Jesus], “He is [the former prophet] Elijah, [whom God promised to send back again].” Others were saying [about Jesus], “[No], he is a [different] prophet, like one of the [other] prophets [who lived long ago].”
16 But Herod, when he heard this, said, "This is John, whom I beheaded. He has risen."
Having heard [what the people were saying, King] Herod [Antipas] himself repeatedly said, “The man [performing those miracles] must be John! I [commanded my soldiers to] cut off his head, but he has come back to life again [to get revenge for my killing him]!”
17 For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, for he had married her.
The reason [King Herod concluded that John wanted revenge is as follows: Some time before this], Herod married Herodias, while she was [still] the wife of his [younger] brother, Philip.
18 For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
John kept telling Herod, “[God’s] law does not permit you to marry the wife of your brother [while he is still alive].” Then, because Herodias [urged him to put John in prison], Herod himself sent [soldiers to John]. They seized John and put him in prison.
19 So Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him, but she could not,
But because Herodias wanted to get [further] revenge on John, she wanted [someone] to execute him. But she could not do that because [while John was in prison], Herod kept John safe [from her].
20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed, but he heard him gladly.
Herod did this because he respected/feared John, because he knew that he was a righteous and holy man. The king did not know what he should do, but he liked to listen to him.
21 And then a convenient day came, that Herod on his birthday gave a supper for his nobles, the high officers, and the leaders of Galilee.
But [Herodias was able to have someone execute John when they honored/celebrated] the day when Herod was born. On that day, he invited the [most important] government officials, the [most important] army leaders, and the most important men in Galilee [district] in order that they might eat [and celebrate with him].
22 And when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and those sitting with him. The king said to the young woman, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."
[While they were eating], Herodias’ daughter came into the room and danced, and that pleased [King] Herod and his guests. So the king said to her, “Ask me for whatever you desire and I will give it to you!”
23 And he swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom."
He said to her, “Whatever you ask, I will give it to you! I will give you up to half of what I own and rule, if you ask for it. May God punish me [if I do not do what I have promised]!”
24 So she went out, and said to her mother, "What should I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the baptizer."
The girl immediately left the room and went to her mother. She [told her what the king had said, and] asked her, “What shall I ask for?” Her mother replied, “[Ask the king to give you] the head of John the Baptizer!”
25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter."
The girl quickly entered the room again. She went to the king and she requested, “I want you to command someone to [cut off] the head of John the Baptizer [and] give it to me at once on a platter, [so that my mother can know he is dead]!”
26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but for the sake of his oaths, and those reclining, he did not wish to refuse her.
The king became very distressed [when he heard what she asked for], because he knew John was a very righteous man (OR, because he now knew that he should not have made that promise to her). But he could not refuse [what she requested because] he had promised [that he would give her anything she asked for], and because his guests [had heard him promise that].
27 So immediately the king sent out a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring John's head, and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
So the king at once ordered the man who executes prisoners to go and [cut off] John’s head and bring it [to the girl]. That man went to the prison and cut off John’s head.
28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the young woman; and the young woman gave it to her mother.
He [put it on] a platter, brought it back, and gave it to the girl. The girl took it to her mother.
29 And when his disciples heard this, they came and took up his corpse, and placed it in a tomb.
After John’s disciples heard [what happened], they went [to the prison] and took John’s body and then they buried [it in a burial cave].
30 Then the apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and they told him all things, whatever they had done, and whatever they had taught.
The [twelve] apostles returned to Jesus [from the places to which they had gone]. They reported to him what they had done and what they had taught [to people].
31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to an isolated place, and rest awhile." For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
He said to them, “Come [with me] to a place where no people are living, in order that we can be alone and rest a little while!” [He said this] because many people were continually coming to them and going [away again], with the result that [Jesus and] his disciples did not have time to eat [or do anything else].
32 So they went away in the boat to an isolated place by themselves.
So they went away by themselves in a boat to a place where no people were living.
33 But they saw them going, and many recognized him and ran there on foot from all the cities and they arrived before them.
[But many] people saw them leaving. They also recognized [that they were Jesus and the disciples, and they saw where they were going]. So they ran [ahead on land] from all the [nearby] towns to the place [where Jesus and his disciples were going]. They [actually] arrived there before [Jesus and the disciples].
34 And he came out, saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.
As Jesus [and his disciples] got out of the boat, Jesus saw this large crowd. He felt sorry for them because they were [confused], like sheep that do not have a shepherd. So he taught them many things.
35 And when it was late in the day, his disciples came to him, and said, "This place is desolate, and it is late in the day.
Late [in the afternoon], the disciples came to him and said, “This is a place where no people live and it is very late.
36 Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages, and buy themselves something to eat."
[So] send the people away in order that they may go to the surrounding farms and villages in order that they can buy for themselves something to eat!”
37 But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give them something to eat?"
But he replied, “[No], you [yourselves] give them something to eat!” They replied, “(We could not buy enough bread to feed [this crowd], even if we had as much money as a man earns by working 200 days!/How could we buy enough bread to feed [this mob], even if we had as much money as a man earns by working 200 days?)” [RHQ]
38 He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go see." When they knew, they said, "Five, and two fish."
But he replied to them, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and find out!” They [went and] found out and then they told him, “We have [only] five flat loaves and two [cooked] fish!”
39 He commanded them that everyone should sit down in groups on the green grass.
He instructed [the disciples to tell] all the people to sit down on the green grass.
40 They sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties.
So the people sat in groups. There were 50 people in some groups and 100 people in other groups.
41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves, and he gave to his disciples to set before them, and he divided the two fish among them all.
Jesus took the five flat loaves and the two fish. He looked up towards heaven and thanked [God] for them. Then he broke the loaves and fish into pieces and kept giving them to the disciples in order that they would distribute them to the people.
42 They all ate, and were filled.
Everyone ate [this food] until they all had enough to eat!
43 They took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and also of the fish.
The disciples then collected twelve baskets full of pieces [of bread] and of the fish [that were left over].
44 Those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
There were approximately 5,000 men who ate the bread [and fish. They did not even count the women and children].
45 And immediately he made his disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself was sending the crowd away.
Right away Jesus told his disciples to get into the boat and then go ahead of him to Bethsaida [town, which was] further around [Lake Galilee. He stayed and] dismissed the many people who were there.
46 After he had taken leave of them, he went up the mountain to pray.
After he said goodbye to the people, he went up into the hills in order to pray.
47 When evening had come, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and he was alone on the land.
When it was evening, the [disciples’] boat was in the middle of the lake and Jesus was by himself on the land.
48 He saw them distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them. In the watch between three and six in the morning he came to them, walking on the sea, and he would have passed by them,
He saw that the wind was [blowing] against them as they rowed. As a result, they were having great difficulty. He approached them early in the morning, when it was still dark, by walking on the water. He intended to walk by them.
49 but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and began to scream;
They saw him walking on the water, but they thought that he was a ghost. They screamed
50 for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he immediately spoke with them, and said to them, "Cheer up. It is I. Do not be afraid."
because they all were terrified when they saw him. But he talked to them. He said to them, “Be calm! Do not be afraid, [because] it is I!”
51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were completely profusely astonished among themselves;
He got into the boat [and sat down] with them and the wind [immediately] blowing. They were completely amazed [about what he had done].
52 for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
[Although they had seen Jesus multiply] the [bread and the fish], they did not understand [from that how powerful he was, as they should have]. They did not think clearly about it.
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore.
After they went further around [Lake Galilee in a boat, they came to the shore at Gennesaret town]. Then they tied up the boat there.
54 When they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him,
As soon as they got out of the boat, [the people there] recognized Jesus.
55 and ran around that whole region, and began to bring those who were sick, on their mats, to where they heard he was.
So they ran throughout the whole district [in order to tell others that Jesus was there]. Then the people [placed] those who were sick on stretchers and carried them to any place where they heard [people say] that Jesus was.
56 Wherever he entered, into villages, or into cities, or into the country, they placed the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch just the fringe of his garment; and everyone who touched him were made well.
In whatever village, town or other place where he entered, they would bring to the marketplaces those who were sick. Then the [sick people] would beg Jesus to let them touch [him or] even the edge of his clothes [in order that Jesus might heal them]. All those who touched [him or his robe] were healed.
