Section XVIII.

[1] 1192At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and all the things which came to pass at his hand; 1193and he marvelled, for he had obtained excellent [2] information concerning him.1194  1195And some men said that John the Baptist was risen [3] from among the dead; 1196and1197 others said that Elijah had appeared; and others, Jeremiah; [4] and others, that a prophet of the old prophets was risen; 1198and others said that he [5] was a prophet like one of the prophets.  1199Herod said to his servants, This is John the Baptist, he whom I beheaded; he is risen from among the dead:  therefore mighty [6] [Arabic, p. 70] works result from him.  1200For Herod himself had sent and taken John, and cast him into prison, for the sake of Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, whom he [7] had taken.  1201And John said to Herod, Thou hast no authority to take the wife of thy [8] brother.  1202And Herodias avoided him and wished to kill him; and she could not.  [9] 1203But Herod feared John, for he knew that he was a righteous man and a holy; and [10] he guarded him, and heard him much, and did, and obeyed him with gladness.  1204And he wished to kill him; but he feared the people, for they adhered to him as the [11] prophet.  1205And there was a celebrated day, and Herod had made a feast for his great men on the day of his anniversary,1206 and for the officers and for the chief men [12] of Galilee.  1207And the daughter of Herodias came in and danced in the midst of the company, and pleased Herod and those that sat with him.  And the king said to the [13] damsel, Ask of me what thou wilt, and I will give it thee.  1208And he sware unto her, [14] Whatsoever thou shalt ask, I will give it thee, to the half of my kingdom.  1209And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask him?1210  She said unto her, The [15] head of John the Baptist.  1211And immediately she came in hastily to the king, and said unto him, I desire in this hour that thou give me on a dish the head of John [16] the Baptist.  1212And the king was exceeding sorry; but because of the oath and the [17] guests he did not wish to refuse her.  1213But immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded that he should bring the head of John:  and he went and cut off [18] the head of John in the prison, 1214and brought it on a dish, and delivered it to the [19] damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother.  1215And his disciples heard, and came [Arabic, p. 71] and took his body, and buried it.  1216And they came and told1217 Jesus what [20] had happened.  1218And for this cause Herod said, I beheaded John:  who [21] is this, of whom I hear these things.  And he desired to see him.  1219And Jesus, when he heard, removed thence in a boat to a waste place alone, to the other side of the sea of the Galilee of Tiberias.1220

[22] 1221And many saw them going, and knew them, and hastened by land1222 from all the cities, and came thither beforehand; 1223for they saw the signs which he was doing on the [23, 24] sick.  1224And Jesus went up into the mountain, and sat there with his disciples.  1225And [25] the feast of the passover of the Jews was near.  1226And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and saw great multitudes coming to him.  1227And he was moved with compassion for them, for [26] they were like sheep that were without a shepherd.  1228And he received them, and spake to them concerning the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

[27] 1229And when the evening approached,1230 his disciples came to him, and said unto [28] him, 1231The place is desert, and the time is past; send away the multitudes of the people,1232 that they may go to the towns and villages which are around us, and buy for [29] themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.  1233But he said unto them, They have [30] no need to go away; give ye them what may be eaten.  1234They said unto him, We have not here enough.  1235He said unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?  [31, 32] 1236And he said that proving him; and he knew what he was resolved to do.  1237Philip said [Arabic, p. 72] unto him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread would not suffice them after1238 [33] every one of them hath taken a small amount.  1239One of his disciples said unto [34] him (namely, Andrew the brother of Simon Cephas), 1240Here is a lad having five loaves [35] of barley and two fishes:  but this amount, what is it for all these?  1241But wilt thou that we go and buy for all the people what may be eaten? for we have no more [36] than these five loaves and the two fishes.  1242And the grass was plentiful in that place.  Jesus said unto them, Arrange all the people that they may sit down on the grass, [37] fifty people in a company.  1243And the disciples did so.  And all the people sat down [38] by companies, by hundreds and fifties.  1244Then Jesus said unto them, Bring hither [39] those five loaves and the two fishes.  1245And when they brought him that, Jesus took the bread and the fish, and looked to heaven, and blessed, and divided, and gave to [40] his disciples to set before them; 1246and the disciples set for the multitudes the bread [41] and the fish; and they ate, all of them, and were satisfied.  1247And when they were satisfied, he said unto his disciples, Gather the fragments that remain over, that nothing [42] be lost.