Mark 6
1 Jesus left [Capernaum city and went to his hometown, Nazareth]. His disciples went with him.
Jesus left and went home to Nazareth with his disciples.
2 (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]
On Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many of those who were listening were surprised. “Where does he get these ideas?” they asked. “What's this wisdom he's been given? Where does he get the power to do miracles?
3 ([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.
Isn't this the carpenter, Mary's son—the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Don't his sisters live here among us?” They were offended and rejected him.
4 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!”
“A prophet is treated with respect except in his home town, among his relatives, and within his own family,” Jesus told them.
5 [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.
The result was that Jesus could not do any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people.
6 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].
He was amazed at their lack of trust. Jesus traveled around the villages, teaching as he went.
7 [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].
He called together the twelve disciples, and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority over evil spirits.
8 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].
He told them not to take anything with them except a walking stick—no bread, no bag, and no money in their belts.
They could wear sandals, but they were not to take an extra shirt.
10 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.
“When you're invited into a home, stay there until you leave,” he told them.
11 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].”
“If you're not welcomed and not listened to, then shake the dust from your feet as you leave as a sign you have given up on them.”
12 [So] after the disciples went out [to various towns], they were preaching that people should stop their sinful behavior.
So they went around telling people to repent.
13 They were also expelling many evil spirits [from people], and they were anointing many sick people with [olive] oil and healing them.
They drove out many demons, and healed many who were sick by anointing them with oil.
14 [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!”
King Herod got to hear about Jesus since he had become well-known. Some said, “This is John the Baptist risen from the dead. That's why he has such miraculous powers.”
15 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].”
Others said, “It's Elijah.” Still others said, “He's a prophet, like one of the prophets of the past.”
16 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]!”
But when Herod heard about it, he said, “It's John, the one I beheaded! He's come back from the dead!”
17 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.
For Herod had given orders to arrest and imprison John because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom Herod had married.
18 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.
John had been saying to Herod, “It's against the law to marry your brother's wife.”
19 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].
So Herodias had a grudge against John and wanted him killed. But she wasn't able to arrange it
20 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.
because Herod knew John was a holy man who did what was right. Herod protected John and though what John said was very disturbing to him, he was still happy to hear what he had to say.
21 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].
Herodias had her opportunity on Herod's birthday. He gave a banquet for the nobles, military officers, and important leaders of Galilee.
22 [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!”
Herodias' daughter came in and danced for them. Herod and those eating with him were delighted at her performance, so he told the girl,
23 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]!”
“Ask me for whatever you like, and I'll give it to you.” He confirmed his promise with an oath, “I'll give you up to half my kingdom.”
24 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!”
She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she replied.
25 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]!”
The girl hurried back in and said to the king, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a plate.”
26 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].
The king was very upset, but because of the oaths he'd made in front of his guests, he didn't want to refuse her.
27 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.
So he immediately sent an executioner to bring him John's head. After beheading him in the prison,
28 He [put it on] a platter, brought it back, and gave it to the girl. The girl took it to her mother.
the executioner brought John's head on a plate and gave it to the girl, and the young girl handed it to her mother.
29 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].
When John's disciples heard what had happened they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.
30 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].
The apostles returned and gathered around Jesus. They told him all they had done and what they had taught.
31 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].
“Come with me, just yourselves. We'll go to a quiet place, and rest for a while,” Jesus told them, because there was so much coming and going that they didn't even have time to eat.
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a place where no people were living.
So they went by boat to a quiet place to be alone.
33 [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].
But people saw them leaving and recognized them. So people from all the surrounding towns ran ahead and got there before them.
34 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.
When Jesus got off the boat he saw a huge crowd, and he felt pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them about many things.
35 Late [in the afternoon], the disciples came to him and said, “This is a place where no people live and it is very late.
It was getting late in the day and Jesus' disciples came to him. They told him, “We're miles from anywhere, and it's really late.
36 [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!”
You should tell the people to go and buy themselves something to eat in the villages and countryside nearby.”
37 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]
But Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.” “What? We'd need more than six month's pay to buy bread to feed all these people,” the disciples replied.
38 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!”
“Well, how much bread do you have?” Jesus asked. “Go and see.” They went and checked, and told him, “Five loaves, and a couple of fish.”
39 He instructed [the disciples to tell] all the people to sit down on the green grass.
Jesus told everyone to sit down in groups on the green grass.
40 So the people sat in groups. There were 50 people in some groups and 100 people in other groups.
They sat in groups of hundreds and fifties.
41 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.
Then he took the five loaves and the two fish. Looking up to heaven he blessed the food and broke the bread into pieces. Then he handed the bread to the disciples to give to the people, and he divided the fish up between all of them.
42 Everyone ate [this food] until they all had enough to eat!
Everyone ate until they were full.
43 The disciples then collected twelve baskets full of pieces [of bread] and of the fish [that were left over].
Then they collected up the leftovers of the bread and fish—twelve basketfuls.
44 There were approximately 5,000 men who ate the bread [and fish. They did not even count the women and children].
A total of five thousand men plus their families ate the food.
45 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.
Immediately after this Jesus instructed his disciples to get back into the boat. They were to go on ahead to Bethsaida on the other side of the lake while he sent the people on their way.
46 After he said goodbye to the people, he went up into the hills in order to pray.
Once he'd said goodbye to them he went up into the hills to pray.
47 When it was evening, the [disciples’] boat was in the middle of the lake and Jesus was by himself on the land.
Late that evening the boat was in the middle of the lake while Jesus was alone, still on land.
48 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.
He could see them being buffeted about as they rowed hard because the wind was blowing against them. In the early morning hours Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He would have passed them,
49 They saw him walking on the water, but they thought that he was a ghost. They screamed
but when they saw him walking on the water they thought he was a ghost. They screamed out
50 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!”
because they could all see him and were absolutely terrified. Jesus told them right away: “Don't worry, it's me. Don't be afraid!”
51 He got into the boat [and sat down] with them and the wind [immediately] blowing. They were completely amazed [about what he had done].
He went over to them and climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. They were totally shocked,
52 [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.
for they hadn't understood the meaning of the feeding miracle due to their stubborn, hard-hearted attitude.
53 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.
After crossing the Sea they arrived at Gennesaret and moored the boat.
54 As soon as they got out of the boat, [the people there] recognized Jesus.
As they climbed out, the people immediately recognized Jesus.
55 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.
They ran everywhere around the whole area to bring in all the sick on their mats to where they'd heard Jesus was.
56 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.
Wherever he went, in the villages, in the towns, or in the countryside, they put the sick in the marketplaces and begged Jesus to let the sick touch just the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched him was healed.
