birthday gave a banquet for his high officers and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 And when the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it to you." 23 And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom." 24 So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!" 25 Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; but, because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. 30 The apostles gathered to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. 33 But many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things. 35 When it was late in the day, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. 36 Send them away, so they can go to the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves something to eat." 37 But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" 38 But he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish." 39 Then he commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, of hundreds and fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. 45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had left them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47