Bible in 90 Days

Jesus Teaches the People^(A)

5 When Jesus saw the crowds of people there, he went up on a hill and sat down. His followers came and sat next to him. ² Then Jesus began teaching the people. He said,

¹¹ “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. ¹² Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.

You Are Like Salt and Light^(B)

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, it cannot be made salty again. Salt is useless if it loses its salty taste. It will be thrown out where people will just walk on it.

¹⁴ “You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

Jesus and the Old Testament Writings

¹⁷ “Don’t think that I have come to destroy the Law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have come not to destroy their teachings but to give full meaning to them. ¹⁸ I assure you that nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter until it has all been done.

¹⁹ “A person should obey every command in the law, even one that does not seem important. Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches others not to obey it will be the least important in God’s kingdom. But whoever obeys the law and teaches others to obey it will be great in God’s kingdom. ²⁰ I tell you that you must do better than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. If you are not more pleasing to God than they are, you will never enter God’s kingdom.

Jesus Teaches About Anger

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone.^[d] Any person who commits murder will be judged.’ ²² But I tell you, don’t be angry with anyone. If you are angry with others, you will be judged. And if you insult someone, you will be judged by the high court. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³ “So, what if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that someone has something against you? ²⁴ Leave your gift there and go make peace with that person. Then come and offer your gift.

²⁵ “If anyone wants to take you to court, make friends with them quickly. Try to do that before you get to the court. If you don’t, they might hand you over to the judge. And the judge will hand you over to a guard, who will throw you into jail. ²⁶ I assure you that you will not leave there until you have paid everything you owe.

Jesus Teaches About Sexual Sin

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not commit adultery.’^{[e] 28} But I tell you that if a man looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, he has already committed that sin with her in his mind. ²⁹ If your right eye makes you sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. ³⁰ If your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Jesus Teaches About Divorce^(C)

³¹ “It was also said, ‘Any man who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.’^{[f] 32} But I tell you that any man who divorces his wife, except for the problem of sexual sin, is causing his wife to be guilty of adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman is guilty of adultery.

Jesus Teaches About Making Promises

³³ “You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘When you make a vow, you must not break your promise. Keep the vows that you make to the Lord.’^{[g] 34} But I tell you, when you make a promise, don’t try to make it stronger with a vow. Don’t make a vow using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne. ³⁵ Don’t make a vow using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to him.^[h] Don’t make a vow using the name of Jerusalem, because it also belongs to him, the great King. ³⁶ And don’t even say that your own head is proof that you will keep your promise. You cannot make one hair on your head white or black. ³⁷ Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’ If you say more than that, it is from the Evil One.

Jesus Teaches About Fighting Back^(D)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’^{[i] 39} But I tell you, don’t fight back against someone who wants to do harm to you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. ⁴¹ If a soldier forces you to walk with him one mile,^[j] go with him two. ⁴² Give to anyone who asks you for something. Don’t refuse to give to anyone who wants to borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies^(E)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[k] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. ⁴⁵ If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. ⁴⁷ And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. ⁴⁸ What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus Teaches About Giving

6 “Be careful! When you do something good, don’t do it in front of others so that they will see you. If you do that, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “When you give to those who are poor, don’t announce that you are giving. Don’t be like the hypocrites. When they are in the synagogues and on the streets, they blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They want everyone to praise them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. ³ So when you give to the poor, don’t let anyone know what you are doing.^{[l] 4} Your giving should be done in private. Your Father can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.

Jesus Teaches About Prayer^(F)

⁵ “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. ⁶ But when you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father. He is there in that private place. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.

⁷ “And when you pray, don’t be like the people who don’t know God. They say the same things again and again. They think that if they say it enough, their god will hear them. ⁸ Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹ So this is how you should pray:

¹⁴ Yes, if you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, then your Father in heaven will also forgive your wrongs. ¹⁵ But if you don’t forgive others, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrongs you do.

Jesus Teaches About Fasting

¹⁶ “When you fast, don’t make yourselves look sad like the hypocrites. They put a look of suffering on their faces so that people will see they are fasting. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. ¹⁷ So when you fast, wash your face and make yourself look nice. ¹⁸ Then no one will know you are fasting, except your Father, who is with you even in private. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.

You Cannot Serve Two Masters^(G)

¹⁹ “Don’t save treasures for yourselves here on earth. Moths and rust will destroy them. And thieves can break into your house and steal them. ²⁰ Instead, save your treasures in heaven, where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. ²¹ Your heart will be where your treasure is.

²² “The only source of light for the body is the eye. If you look at people and want to help them, you will be full of light. ²³ But if you look at people in a selfish way, you will be full of darkness. And if the only light you have is really darkness, you have the worst kind of darkness.^[n]

²⁴ “You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one and love the other, or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and Money^[o] at the same time.

Put God’s Kingdom First^(H)

²⁵ “So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? ²⁷ You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. ²⁹ But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. ³⁰ If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!

³¹ “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³² That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. ³³ What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. ³⁴ So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.

Be Careful About Criticizing Others^(I)

7 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. ² If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others.

³ “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own? ⁴ Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. ⁵ You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.

⁶ “Don’t give something that is holy to dogs. They will only turn and hurt you. And don’t throw your pearls to pigs. They will only step on them.

Ask God for What You Need^(J)

⁷ “Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. ⁸ Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.

⁹ “Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock? ¹⁰ Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not! ¹¹ You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him.

A Very Important Rule

¹² “Do for others what you would want them to do for you. This is the meaning of the Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.

The Way to Heaven and the Way to Hell^(K)

¹³ “You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way. ¹⁴ But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.

What People Do Shows What They Are^(L)

¹⁵ “Be careful of false prophets. They come to you and look gentle like sheep. But they are really dangerous like wolves. ¹⁶ You will know these people because of what they do. Good things don’t come from people who are bad, just as grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds. ¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ You will know these false people by what they do.^[p]

²¹ “Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter God’s kingdom. The only people who will enter are those who do what my Father in heaven wants. ²² On that last Day many will call me Lord. They will say, ‘Lord, Lord, by the power of your name we spoke for God. And by your name we forced out demons and did many miracles.’ ²³ Then I will tell those people clearly, ‘Get away from me, you people who do wrong. I never knew you.’

Two Kinds of People^(M)

²⁴ “Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.

²⁶ “Whoever hears these teachings of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell with a loud crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus finished speaking, the people were amazed at his teaching. ²⁹ He did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like someone who has authority.

Jesus Heals a Sick Man^(N)

8 Jesus came down from the hill, and a large crowd followed him. ² Then a man sick with leprosy came to him. The man bowed down before Jesus and said, “Lord, you have the power to heal me if you want.”

³ Jesus touched the man. He said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” Immediately the man was healed from his leprosy. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go and let the priest look at you.^[q] And offer the gift that Moses commanded for people who are made well. This will show everyone that you are healed.”

Jesus Heals an Officer’s Servant^(O)

⁵ Jesus went to the city of Capernaum. When he entered the city, an army officer came to him and begged for help. ⁶ The officer said, “Lord, my servant is very sick at home in bed. He can’t move his body and has much pain.”

⁷ Jesus said to the officer, “I will go and heal him.”

⁸ The officer answered, “Lord, I am not good enough for you to come into my house. You need only to give the order, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ I know this, because I understand authority. There are people who have authority over me, and I have soldiers under my authority. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant obeys me.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were with him, “The truth is, this man has more faith than anyone I have found, even in Israel. ¹¹ Many people will come from the east and from the west. These people will sit and eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in God’s kingdom. ¹² And those who should have the kingdom will be thrown out. They will be thrown outside into the darkness, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go home. Your servant will be healed the way you believed he would.” Right then his servant was healed.

Jesus Heals Many People^(P)

¹⁴ Jesus went to Peter’s house. He saw that Peter’s mother-in-law was in bed with a high fever. ¹⁵ He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she stood up and began to serve him.

¹⁶ That evening people brought to Jesus many people who had demons inside them. He spoke and the demons left the people. He healed all those who were sick. ¹⁷ So Jesus made clear the full meaning of what Isaiah the prophet said:

Following Jesus^(R)

¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he told his followers to go to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you any place you go.”

²⁰ Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes to live in. The birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to rest.”

²¹ Another of Jesus’ followers said to him, “Lord, I will follow you too, but let me go and bury my father first.”

²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let those who are dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus’ Followers See His Power^(S)

²³ Jesus got into a boat, and his followers went with him. ²⁴ After the boat left the shore, a very bad storm began on the lake. The waves covered the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then he stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped, and the lake became very calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!”

Jesus Sends Demons Out of Two Men^(T)

²⁸ Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake in the country of the Gadarene^[r] people. There, two men who had demons inside them came to him. They lived in the burial caves and were so dangerous that no one could use the road by those caves. ²⁹ They came to Jesus and shouted, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Did you come here to punish us before the right time?”

³⁰ Near that place there was a large herd of pigs feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, “If you make us leave these men, please send us into that herd of pigs.”

³² Jesus said to them, “Go!” So the demons left the men and went into the pigs. Then the whole herd of pigs ran down the hill into the lake, and all were drowned. ³³ The men who had the work of caring for the pigs ran away. They went into town and told the people everything that happened, especially about the men who had the demons. ³⁴ Then the whole town went out to see Jesus. When the people saw him, they begged him to leave their area.

Jesus Heals a Crippled Man^(U)

9 Jesus got into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. ² Some people brought to him a man who was paralyzed and was lying on a mat. Jesus saw that these people had much faith. So he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, you will be glad to hear this. Your sins are forgiven.”

³ Some of the teachers of the law heard what Jesus said. They said to themselves, “What an insult to God for this man to say that!”

⁴ Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? ^5-6 The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There’s no proof that it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up and walk’? Then you will be able to see that I really have this power.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up. Take your mat and go home.”

⁷ The man stood up and went home. ⁸ The people saw this and they were amazed. They praised God for letting someone have such power.

Matthew (Levi) Follows Jesus^(V)

⁹ When Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the place for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” So he got up and followed Jesus.

¹⁰ Jesus ate dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and others with bad reputations came and ate with him and his followers. ¹¹ The Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with these people. They asked his followers, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and other sinners?”

¹² Jesus heard them say this. So he said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. ¹³ You need to go and learn what this Scripture means: ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’^[s] I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”

Jesus Is Not Like Other Religious Leaders^(W)

¹⁴ Then the followers of John came to Jesus and said, “We and the Pharisees fast often, but your followers don’t ever fast. Why?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “At a wedding the friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They cannot fast then. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them. Then they will fast.

¹⁶ “When someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, they never use a piece of cloth that has not already been shrunk. If they do, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. ¹⁷ Also, people never pour new wine into old wineskins. They would break, the wine would spill out, and the wineskins would be ruined. People always put new wine into new wineskins, which won’t break, and the wine stays good.”

Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman^(X)

¹⁸ While Jesus was still talking, a leader of the synagogue came to him. The leader bowed down before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But if you will come and touch her with your hand, she will live again.”

¹⁹ So Jesus and his followers went with the man.

²⁰ On the way, there was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She came close behind Jesus and touched the bottom of his coat. ²¹ She was thinking, “If I can touch his coat, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw the woman. He said, “Be happy, dear woman. You are made well because you believed.” Then the woman was healed.

²³ Jesus continued going with the Jewish leader and went into the leader’s house. He saw people there who make music for funerals. And he saw a crowd of people crying loudly. ²⁴ Jesus said, “Go away. The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping.” But the people laughed at him. ²⁵ After the people were put out of the house, Jesus went into the girl’s room. He held the girl’s hand, and the girl stood up. ²⁶ The news about this spread all around the area.

Jesus Heals More People

²⁷ As Jesus was going away from there, two blind men followed him. They said loudly, “Show kindness to us, Son of David.”

²⁸ Jesus went inside, and the blind men went with him. He asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to make you see again?” They answered, “Yes, Lord, we believe.”

²⁹ Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “You believe that I can make you see again, so it will happen.” ³⁰ Then the men were able to see. Jesus gave them a strong warning. He said, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” ³¹ But they left and spread the news about Jesus all around that area.

³² As these two men were leaving, some people brought another man to Jesus. This man could not talk because he had a demon inside him. ³³ Jesus forced the demon out, and the man was able to talk. The people were amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel.”

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “The ruler of demons is the one that gives him power to force demons out.”

Jesus Feels Sorry for the People

³⁵ Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues and told people the Good News about God’s kingdom. He healed all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. ³⁶ Jesus saw the many people and felt sorry for them because they were worried and helpless—like sheep without a shepherd to lead them. ³⁷ Jesus said to his followers, “There is such a big harvest of people to bring in. But there are only a few workers to help harvest them. ³⁸ God owns the harvest. Ask him to send more workers to help gather his harvest.”

Jesus Sends His Apostles on a Mission^(Y)

10 Jesus called his twelve followers together. He gave them power over evil spirits and power to heal every kind of disease and sickness. ² These are the names of the twelve apostles:

⁵ Jesus sent the twelve men out with these instructions: “Don’t go to the non-Jewish people. And don’t go into any town where the Samaritans live. ⁶ But go to the people of Israel. They are like sheep that are lost. ⁷ When you go, tell them this: ‘God’s kingdom is now very near.^[t]’ ⁸ Heal the sick. Bring the dead back to life. Heal the people who have leprosy. And force demons out of people. I give you these powers freely, so help others freely. ⁹ Don’t carry any money with you—gold or silver or copper. ¹⁰ Don’t carry a bag. Take only the clothes and sandals you are wearing. And don’t take a walking stick. A worker should be given what he needs.

¹¹ “When you enter a city or town, find some worthy person there and stay in his home until you leave. ¹² When you enter that home, say, ‘Peace be with you.’ ¹³ If the people in that home welcome you, they are worthy of your peace. May they have the peace you wished for them. But if they don’t welcome you, they are not worthy of your peace. Take back the peace you wished for them. ¹⁴ And if the people in a home or a town refuse to welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet.^{[u] 15} I can assure you that on the judgment day it will be worse for that town than for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Jesus Warns About Troubles^(Z)

¹⁶ “Listen! I am sending you, and you will be like sheep among wolves. So be smart like snakes. But also be like doves and don’t hurt anyone. ¹⁷ Be careful! There are people who will arrest you and take you to be judged. They will whip you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ You will be taken to stand before governors and kings. People will do this to you because you follow me. You will tell about me to those kings and governors and to the non-Jewish people. ¹⁹ When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say or how you should say it. At that time you will be given the words to say. ²⁰ It will not really be you speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.

²¹ “Brothers will turn against their own brothers and hand them over to be killed. Fathers will hand over their own children to be killed. Children will fight against their own parents and will have them killed. ²² Everyone will hate you because you follow me. But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. ²³ When you are treated badly in one city, go to another city. I promise you that you will not finish going to all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes again.

²⁴ “Students are not better than their teacher. Servants are not better than their master. ²⁵ Students should be happy to be treated the same as their teacher. And servants should be happy to be treated the same as their master. If those people call me ‘the ruler of demons,’ and I am the head of the family,^[v] then it is even more certain that they will insult you, the members of the family!

Fear God, Not People^(AA)

²⁶ “So don’t be afraid of those people. Everything that is hidden will be shown. Everything that is secret will be made known. ²⁷ I tell you all this secretly,^[w] but I want you to tell it publicly.^[x] Whatever I tell you privately,^[y] you should shout for everyone to hear.^[z]

²⁸ “Don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is God, the one who can send the body and the soul to be destroyed in hell. ²⁹ When birds are sold, two small birds cost only a penny. But not even one of those little birds can die without your Father knowing it. ³⁰ God even knows how many hairs are on your head. ³¹ So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than a whole flock of birds.

Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Faith^(AB)

³² “If you stand before others and are willing to say you believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you belong to me. ³³ But if you stand before others and say you do not believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you do not belong to me.

Following Jesus May Bring You Trouble^(AC)

³⁴ “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace. I came to bring trouble.^{[aa] 35} I have come to make this happen:

³⁷ “Those who love their father or mother more than they love me are not worthy of me. And those who love their son or daughter more than they love me are not worthy of me. ³⁸ Those who will not accept the cross that is given to them when they follow me are not worthy of me. ³⁹ Those who try to keep the life they have will lose it. But those who give up their life for me will find true life.

God Will Bless Those Who Welcome You^(AE)

⁴⁰ “Whoever accepts you also accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever accepts a prophet because he is a prophet will get the same reward a prophet gets. And whoever accepts a godly person just because that person is godly will get the same reward a godly person gets. ⁴² Whoever helps any of these little ones because they are my followers will definitely get a reward, even if they only give them a cup of cold water.”

John Sends Men to Ask Jesus a Question^(AF)

11 When Jesus finished these instructions for his twelve followers, he left there. He went to the towns in Galilee to teach the people and tell them God’s message.

² When John was in prison, he heard about the things that were happening—things the Messiah would do. So he sent some of his followers to Jesus. ³ They asked him, “Are you the one we have been expecting, or should we wait for someone else?”

⁴ Jesus answered, “Go tell John what you have heard and seen: ⁵ The blind can see. The crippled can walk. People with leprosy are healed. The deaf can hear. The dead are brought back to life. And the Good News is being told to the poor. ⁶ Great blessings belong to those who don’t have a problem accepting me.”

⁷ When John’s followers left, Jesus began talking to the people about John. He said, “What did you people go out to the desert to see? Someone who is weak, like a stem of grass^[ab] blowing in the wind? ⁸ Really, what did you expect to see? Someone dressed in fine clothes? Of course not. People who wear fine clothes are all in kings’ palaces. ⁹ So what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, John is a prophet. But I tell you, he is more than that. ¹⁰ This Scripture was written about him:

¹¹ “The truth is that John the Baptizer is greater than anyone who has ever come into this world. But even the least important person in God’s kingdom is greater than John. ¹² Since the time John the Baptizer came until now, God’s kingdom has been going forward strongly.^[ac] And people have been trying to take control of it by force. ¹³ Before John came, the Law of Moses and all the prophets told about the things that would happen. ¹⁴ And if you believe what they said, then John is Elijah.^[ad] He is the one they said would come. ¹⁵ You people who hear me, listen!

¹⁶ “What can I say about the people who live today? What are they like? The people today are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group of children calls to the other group,

¹⁸ Why do I say people are like that? Because John came, not eating like other people or drinking wine, and people say, ‘He has a demon inside him.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine. He’s a friend of tax collectors and other sinners.’ But wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.”

Jesus Warns People Who Refuse to Believe^(AH)

²⁰ Then Jesus criticized the cities where he did most of his miracles. He criticized these cities because the people there did not change their lives and stop sinning. ²¹ Jesus said, “It will be bad for you Chorazin! It will be bad for you Bethsaida! I did many miracles in you. If these same miracles had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have changed their lives a long time ago. They would have worn sackcloth and put ashes on themselves to show that they were sorry for their sins. ²² But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be worse for you than for Tyre and Sidon.

²³ “And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No! You will be thrown down to the place of death. I did many miracles in you. If these same miracles had happened in Sodom, the people there would have stopped sinning, and it would still be a city today. ²⁴ But I tell you, it will be worse for you in the day of judgment than for Sodom.”

Jesus Offers Rest to His People^(AI)

²⁵ Then Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. I am thankful that you have hidden these things from those who are so wise and so smart. But you have shown them to people who are like little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, you did this because it’s what you really wanted to do.

²⁷ “My Father has given me everything. No one knows the Son—only the Father knows the Son. And no one knows the Father—only the Son knows the Father. And the only people who will know about the Father are those the Son chooses to tell.

²⁸ “Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. ²⁹ Accept my teaching.^[ae] Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest. ³⁰ Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.”

Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day^(AJ)

12 About that same time, Jesus was walking through the fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were with him, and they were hungry. So they began to pick the grain and eat it. ² The Pharisees saw this. They said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing something that is against the law to do on the Sabbath day.”

³ Jesus said to them, “You have read what David did when he and those with him were hungry. ⁴ David went into God’s house. He and those with him ate the bread that was offered to God. It was against the law for David or those with him to eat that bread. Only the priests were allowed to eat it. ⁵ And you have read in the Law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests at the Temple break the law about the Sabbath day. But they are not wrong for doing that. ⁶ I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. ⁷ The Scriptures say, ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’^[af] You don’t really know what that means. If you understood it, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.

⁸ “The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day.”

Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath Day^(AK)

⁹ Jesus went from there to their synagogue. ¹⁰ In the synagogue there was a man with a crippled hand. Some Jews there were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus of doing wrong. So they asked him, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath day?”^[ag]

¹¹ Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day, you will take the sheep and help it out of the ditch. ¹² Surely a man is more important than a sheep. So it is right to do good on the Sabbath day.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it became well again, the same as the other hand. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.

Jesus Is God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵ Jesus knew what the Pharisees were planning. So he left that place, and many people followed him. He healed all who were sick, ¹⁶ but he warned them not to tell others who he was. ¹⁷ This was to give full meaning to what Isaiah the prophet said when he spoke for God:

Jesus’ Power Is From God^(AM)

²² Then some people brought a man to Jesus. This man was blind and could not talk, because he had a demon inside him. Jesus healed the man, and he could talk and see. ²³ All the people were amazed at what Jesus did. They said, “Maybe he is the promised Son of David!”

²⁴ When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man uses the power of Satan^[ai] to force demons out of people. Satan is the ruler of demons.”

²⁵ Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. And every city or family that is divided against itself will not survive. ²⁶ So if Satan forces out his own demons,^[aj] then he is fighting against himself, and his kingdom will not survive. ²⁷ You say that I use the power of Satan to force out demons. If that is true, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? So your own people will prove that you are wrong. ²⁸ But I use the power of God’s Spirit to force out demons, and this shows that God’s kingdom has come to you. ²⁹ Whoever wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things must first tie him up. Then they can steal the things from his house. ³⁰ Whoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me.

³¹ “So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sinful thing they do and for every bad thing they say against God. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² You can even speak against the Son of Man and be forgiven. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven—not now or in the future.

What You Do Shows What You Are^(AN)

³³ “If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good, it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. ³⁴ You snakes! You are so evil. How can you say anything good? What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts. ³⁵ Those who are good have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. ³⁶ I tell you that everyone will have to answer for all the careless things they have said. This will happen on the day of judgment. ³⁷ Your words will be used to judge you. What you have said will show whether you are right or whether you are guilty.”

Some People Doubt Jesus’ Authority^(AO)

³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law answered Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we want to see you do a miracle as a sign from God.”

³⁹ Jesus answered, “Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle as a sign. But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to the prophet Jonah.^{[ak] 40} Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights. ⁴¹ On the judgment day, you people who live now will be compared with the people from Nineveh,^[al] and they will be witnesses who show how guilty you are. Why do I say this? Because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their lives. And you are listening to someone greater than Jonah, but you refuse to change!

⁴² “On the judgment day, you people who live now will also be compared with the queen of the South,^[am] and she will be a witness who shows how guilty you are. I say this because she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is right here, but you won’t listen!

The Danger of Emptiness^(AP)

⁴³ “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry places looking for a place to rest, but it finds none. ⁴⁴ So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’ When it comes back, it finds that home still empty. It is all neat and clean. ⁴⁵ Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself. They all go and live there, and that person has even more trouble than before. It is the same way with the evil people who live today.”

Jesus’ Followers Are His True Family^(AQ)

⁴⁶ While Jesus was talking to the people, his mother and brothers stood outside. They wanted to talk to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside. They want to talk to you.”

⁴⁸ Jesus answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Then he pointed to his followers and said, “See! These people are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ Yes, anyone who does what my Father in heaven wants is my true brother and sister and mother.”

A Story About a Farmer Sowing Seed^(AR)

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² A large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat and sat down. All the people stayed on the shore. ³ Then Jesus used stories to teach them many things. He told them this story:

“A farmer went out to sow seed. ⁴ While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where there was not enough dirt. It grew very fast there, because the soil was not deep. ⁶ But when the sun rose, it burned the plants. The plants died because they did not have deep roots. ⁷ Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and stopped the good plants from growing. ⁸ But some of the seed fell on good ground. There it grew and made grain. Some plants made 100 times more grain, some 60 times more, and some 30 times more. ⁹ You people who hear me, listen!”

Why Jesus Used Stories to Teach^(AS)

¹⁰ The followers came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you use these stories to teach the people?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “Only you can know the secret truths about God’s kingdom. Those other people cannot know these secret truths. ¹² The people who have some understanding will be given more. And they will have even more than they need. But those who do not have much understanding will lose even the little understanding that they have. ¹³ This is why I use these stories to teach the people: They see, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand. ¹⁴ So they show that what Isaiah said about them is true:

¹⁶ But God has blessed you. You understand what you see with your eyes. And you understand what you hear with your ears. ¹⁷ I can assure you, many prophets and godly people wanted to see what you now see. But they did not see it. And many prophets and godly people wanted to hear what you now hear. But they did not hear it.

Jesus Explains the Story About Seed^(AU)

¹⁸ “So listen to the meaning of that story about the farmer:

¹⁹ “What about the seed that fell by the path? That is like the people who hear the teaching about God’s kingdom but do not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away what was planted in their hearts.

²⁰ “And what about the seed that fell on rocky ground? That is like the people who hear the teaching and quickly and gladly accept it. ²¹ But they do not let the teaching go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.

²² “And what about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love for money stop it from growing. So it does not produce a crop in their lives.

²³ “But what about the seed that fell on the good ground? That is like the people who hear the teaching and understand it. They grow and produce a good crop, sometimes 100 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 30 times more.”

A Story About Wheat and Weeds

²⁴ Then Jesus used another story to teach them. Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ That night, while everyone was asleep, the man’s enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. ²⁶ Later, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. ²⁷ Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’

“The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’

²⁹ “He answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. ³⁰ Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First, gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’”

What Is God’s Kingdom Like?^(AV)

³¹ Then Jesus told the people another story: “God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants. It becomes a tree big enough for the birds to come and make nests in its branches.”

³³ Then Jesus told them another story: “God’s kingdom is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”

³⁴ Jesus used stories to tell all these things to the people. He always used stories to teach them. ³⁵ This was to make clear the full meaning of what the prophet said:

Jesus Explains a Hard Story

³⁶ Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His followers came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world. The good seed are the people in God’s kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. ³⁹ And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end of time. And the workers who gather are God’s angels.

⁴⁰ “The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be the same at the end of time. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will find the people who cause sin and all those who do evil. The angels will take those people out of his kingdom. ⁴² They will throw them into the place of fire. There the people will be crying and grinding their teeth with pain. ⁴³ Then the godly people will shine like the sun. They will be in the kingdom of their Father. You people who hear me, listen!

Stories About a Treasure and a Pearl

⁴⁴ “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field.

⁴⁵ “Also, God’s kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ One day he found a very fine pearl. He went and sold everything he had to buy it.

A Story About a Fishing Net

⁴⁷ “Also, God’s kingdom is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ It was full, so the fishermen pulled it to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. ⁴⁹ It will be the same at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the godly people. ⁵⁰ They will throw the evil people into the place of fire. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”

⁵¹ Then Jesus asked his followers, “Do you understand all these things?”

They said, “Yes, we understand.”

⁵² Then Jesus said to the followers, “So every teacher of the law who has learned about God’s kingdom has some new things to teach. He is like the owner of a house. He has new things and old things saved in that house. And he brings out the new with the old.”

Jesus Goes to His Hometown^(AX)

⁵³ When Jesus finished teaching with these stories, he left there. ⁵⁴ He went to the town where he grew up. He taught the people in the synagogue, and they were amazed. They said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and this power to do miracles? ⁵⁵ Isn’t he just the son of the carpenter we know? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶ And don’t all his sisters still live here in town? How is he able to do these things?” ⁵⁷ So they had a problem accepting him.

But Jesus said to them, “People everywhere give honor to a prophet, but in his own town or in his own home a prophet does not get any honor.” ⁵⁸ Jesus did not do many miracles there, because the people did not believe in him.

Herod Thinks Jesus Is John the Baptizer^(AY)

14 About that time, Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard what the people were saying about Jesus. ² So he said to his servants, “This man is really John the Baptizer. He must have risen from death, and that is why he can do these miracles.”

How John the Baptizer Was Killed

³ Before this time, Herod had arrested John. He had him chained and put in prison. He arrested John because of Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. ⁴ John had told him, “It is not right for you to be married to Herodias.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the people. They believed that John was a prophet.

⁶ On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for him and his group. Herod was very pleased with her. ⁷ So he promised that he would give her anything she wanted. ⁸ Herodias told her daughter what to ask for. So she said to Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptizer here on this plate.”

⁹ King Herod was very sad. But he had promised to give the daughter anything she wanted. And the people eating with Herod had heard his promise. So he ordered what she asked to be done. ¹⁰ He sent men to the prison, where they cut off John’s head. ¹¹ And the men brought John’s head on a plate and gave it to the girl. Then she took the head to her mother, Herodias. ¹² John’s followers came and got his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what happened.

Jesus Feeds More Than 5000^(AZ)

¹³ When Jesus heard what happened to John, he left in a boat. He went alone to a place where no one lived. But the people heard that Jesus had left. So they left their towns and followed him. They went by land to the same place he went. ¹⁴ When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd of people. He felt sorry for them, and he healed the ones who were sick.

¹⁵ Late that afternoon, the followers came to Jesus and said, “No one lives in this place. And it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the towns and buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶ Jesus said, “The people don’t need to go away. You give them some food to eat.”

¹⁷ The followers answered, “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish.”

¹⁸ Jesus said, “Bring the bread and the fish to me.” ¹⁹ Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish. He looked into the sky and thanked God for the food. Then he broke the bread into pieces, which he gave to the followers, and they gave the food to the people. ²⁰ Everyone ate until they were full. When they finished eating, the followers filled twelve baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. ²¹ There were about 5000 men there who ate. There were also women and children who ate.

Jesus Walks on Water^(BA)

²² Then Jesus made the followers get into the boat. He told them to go to the other side of the lake. He said he would come later. He stayed there to tell everyone they could go home. ²³ After Jesus said goodbye to the people, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. It was late, and he was there alone. ²⁴ By this time the boat was already a long way from shore. Since the wind was blowing against it, the boat was having trouble because of the waves.

²⁵ Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus’ followers were still in the boat. Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water. ²⁶ When they saw him walking on the water, it scared them. “It’s a ghost!” they said, screaming in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus quickly spoke to them. He said, “Don’t worry! It’s me! Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ Peter said, “Lord, if that is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ Jesus said, “Come, Peter.”

Then Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. ³⁰ But while Peter was walking on the water, he saw the wind and the waves. He was afraid and began sinking into the water. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Then Jesus caught Peter with his hand. He said, “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?”

³² After Peter and Jesus were in the boat, the wind stopped. ³³ Then the followers in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “You really are the Son of God.”

Jesus Heals Many Sick People^(BB)

³⁴ After they crossed the lake, they came to the shore at Gennesaret. ³⁵ Some men there saw Jesus and knew who he was. So they sent word to the other people throughout that area that Jesus had come. The people brought all their sick people to him. ³⁶ They begged Jesus to let them only touch the edge of his coat to be healed. And all the sick people who touched his coat were healed.

God’s Law and Human Traditions^(BC)

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus. They came from Jerusalem and asked him, ² “Why do your followers not obey the traditions we have from our great leaders who lived long ago? Your followers don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

³ Jesus answered, “And why do you refuse to obey God’s command so that you can follow those traditions you have? ⁴ God said, ‘You must respect your father and mother.’^[an] And God also said, ‘Whoever says anything bad to their father or mother must be killed.’^{[ao] 5} But you teach that a person can say to their father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you. But I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’ ⁶ You are teaching them not to respect their father. So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think it is more important to follow those traditions you have. ⁷ You are hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke for God about you:

¹⁰ Jesus called the people to him. He said, “Listen and understand what I am saying. ¹¹ It is not what people put in their mouth that makes them wrong.^[ap] It is what comes out of their mouth that makes them wrong.”

¹² Then the followers came to Jesus and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees are upset about what you said?”

¹³ Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Stay away from the Pharisees. They lead the people, but they are like blind men leading other blind men. And if a blind man leads another blind man, both of them will fall into a ditch.”

¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain to us what you said earlier to the people.”

¹⁶ Jesus said, “Do you still have trouble understanding? ¹⁷ Surely you know that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body. ¹⁸ But the bad things people say with their mouth come from the way they think. And that’s what can make people wrong. ¹⁹ All these bad things begin in the mind: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual sins, stealing, lying, and insulting people. ²⁰ These are the things that make people wrong. Eating without washing their hands will never make people unacceptable to God.”

Jesus Helps a Non-Jewish Woman^(BE)

²¹ Jesus went from there to the area of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that area came out and began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, please help me! My daughter has a demon inside her, and she is suffering very much.”

²³ But Jesus did not answer her. So the followers came to him and said, “Tell her to go away. She keeps crying out and will not leave us alone.”

²⁴ Jesus answered, “God sent me only to the lost people^[aq] of Israel.”

²⁵ Then the woman came over to Jesus and bowed before him. She said, “Lord, help me!”

²⁶ He answered her with this saying: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs.”

²⁷ The woman said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the pieces of food that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! You will get what you asked for.” And right then the woman’s daughter was healed.

Jesus Heals Many People

²⁹ Then Jesus went from there to the shore of Lake Galilee. He went up on a hill and sat down.

³⁰ A large crowd of people came to him. They brought many other sick people and put them before him. There were people who could not walk, people who were blind, crippled, or deaf, and many others. Jesus healed them all. ³¹ People were amazed when they saw that those who could not speak were now able to speak. Crippled people were made strong. Those who could not walk were now able to walk. The blind were able to see. Everyone thanked the God of Israel for this.

Jesus Feeds More Than 4000^(BF)

³² Jesus called his followers to him and said, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me three days, and now they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. They might faint while going home.”

³³ The followers asked Jesus, “Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are a long way from any town.”

³⁴ Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”

They answered, “We have seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.”

³⁵ Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. ³⁶ He took the seven loaves of bread and the fish. Then he gave thanks to God for the food. He broke the bread into pieces, which he gave to the followers, and they gave the food to the people. ³⁷ All the people ate until they were full. After this, the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. ³⁸ There were about 4000 men there who ate. There were also some women and children. ³⁹ After they all ate, Jesus told the people they could go home. He got into the boat and went to the area of Magadan.