1 After this Jesus went off to the opposite side of the sea of Galilee (the lake of Tiberias), 2 followed by a large crowd on account of the Signs which they had seen him perform on sick folk. 3 Now Jesus went up the hill and sat down there with his disciples.
4 (The passover, the Jewish festival, was at hand.) 5 On looking up and seeing a large crowd approaching, he said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for all these people to eat?" 6 (He said this to test Philip, for he knew what he was going to do himself.)
7 Philip answered, "Seven pounds' worth of bread would not be enough for them, for everybody to get even a morsel."
8 One of his disciples, Andrew the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9 "There is a servant here, with five barley-cakes and a couple of fish; but what is that among so many?"
10 Jesus said, "Get the people to lie down." Now there was plenty of grass at the spot, so the men lay down, numbering about five thousand. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to those who were reclining; so too with the fish, as much as they wanted.
12 And when they were satisfied, he said to the disciples, "Gather up the pieces left over, so that nothing may be wasted." 13 They gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with pieces of the five loaves left over from the meal.
14 Now when the people saw the Sign he had performed, they said, "This really is the Prophet who is to come into the world!" 15 Whereupon Jesus perceived they meant to come and seize him to make a king of him; so he withdrew by himself to the hill again.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 and embarking in a boat they started across the sea for Capharnahum. By this time it was dark, Jesus had not reached them yet, 18 and the sea was getting up under a strong wind. 19 After rowing about three or four miles they saw Jesus walking on the sea and nearing the boat. They were terrified,
20 but he said to them, "It is I, have no fear"; 21 so they agreed to take him on board, and the boat instantly reached the land they were making for.
22 Next day the crowd which had been left standing on the other side of the sea bethought them that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not gone aboard with his disciples, who had left by themselves. 23 So, as some boats from Tiberias had put in near the spot where they had eaten bread after the Lord's thanksgiving, 24 and as the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they embarked in the boats themselves and made for Capharnahum in search of Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly I tell you, it is not because you saw Signs that you are in quest of me, but because you ate these loaves and had your fill. 27 Work for no perishing food, but for that lasting food which means eternal life; the Son of man will give you that, for the Father, God, has certified him."
28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"
29 Jesus replied to them, "This is the work of God, to believe in him whom God has sent."
30 "Well then," they said, "what is the Sign you perform, that we may see it and believe you? What work have you to show? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the desert: as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
32 Then said Jesus, "What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven ??33 for the bread of God is what comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34 "Ah, sir," they said to him, "give us that bread always."
35 Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will never be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty again. 36 But, as I told you, though you have seen me, you do not believe. 37 All those will come to me who are the Father's gift to me, and never will I reject one of them; 38 for I have come down from heaven not to carry out my own will but the will of him who sent me, 39 and the will of him who sent me is that I lose none of those who are his gift to me, but that I raise them all up on the last day. 40 It is the will of my Father that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should possess eternal life, and that I should raise him up on the last day."
41 Now the Jews murmured at him for saying, "I am the bread which has come down from heaven." 42 They said, "Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he claim now, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
43 Jesus replied to them, "Stop murmuring to yourselves. 44 No one is able to come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me (and I will raise him up on the last day). 45 In the prophets it is written, and they will be all instructed by God; everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from him, comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father ??he only, who is from God, he has seen the Father.
47 Truly, truly I tell you, the believer has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died; 50 the bread that comes down from heaven is such that one eats of it and never dies. 51 I am the living bread which has come down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and more, the bread I will give is my flesh, given for the life of the world."
52 The Jews then wrangled with one another, saying, "How can he give us his flesh to eat?"
53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life within you. 54 He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood possesses eternal life (and I will raise him up on the last day), 55 for my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains within me, as I remain within him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live by the Father, so he who feeds on me will also live by me. 58 Such is the bread which has come down from heaven: your ancestors ate their bread and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live for ever."
59 This he said as he taught in the synagogue at Capharnahum.
60 Now many of his disciples, on hearing it, said, "This is hard to take in! Who can listen to talk like this?"
61 Jesus, inwardly conscious that his disciples were murmuring at it, said to them, "So this upsets you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending to where he formerly existed? 63 What gives life is the Spirit: flesh is of no avail at all. The words I have uttered to you are spirit and life. 64 And yet there are some of you who do not believe" (for Jesus knew from the very first who the unbelieving were, and who was to betray him; 65 that was why he said 'I tell you that no one is able to come to me unless he is allowed by the Father').
66 After that, many of his disciples drew back and would not associate with him any longer. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go, too?"
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, who are we to go to? You have got words of eternal life, 69 and we believe, we are certain, that you are the holy One of God."
70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil!" 71 (He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot; for Judas was to betray him ??and he was one of the twelve.)