Matthew 14:13-21 - The Feeding Of Five Thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard it he went away privately by boat to a lonely spot; but the crowds heard about it, and followed him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ So when he landed he saw a great multitude, and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.

¹⁵ As twilight fell, his disciples came to him and said: "This is a lonely spot, and the day is far spent; send the crowds away, so that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."

¹⁶ "They need not go away," said Jesus, "do you, yourselves, give them something to eat."

¹⁷ "We have nothing here," they replied, "except five loaves and two fishes."

¹⁸ "Bring them here to me," said Jesus. ¹⁹ Then he told the people to sit down on the grass, and after taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves and handed them to the disciples, and the disciples handed them to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were fully satisfied, and they took up of the fragments that remained, twelve basketfuls. ²¹ Those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

³⁰ When the apostles had come back to Jesus, they told him all the things they had done, and all they had taught. ³¹ Then he said to them, "Come apart, yourselves, to a quiet spot, and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they could not get time even to eat. ³² So they sailed away privately to a solitary place. ³³ However, many saw them going, and recognized them, and ran together by land from all the neighboring towns, and arrived there first. ³⁴ So when Jesus landed he saw a vast multitude, and he was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

³⁵ Then when the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him and said: "This place is desert, and the day is now far spent. ³⁶ Send the people away so that they may go to the farms and villages about here, and buy themselves something to eat."

³⁷ In answer he said to them, "You yourselves are to give them food." "Are we to go and buy fifty dollars worth of bread," they said, "and give them food?"

³⁸ "How many loaves have you?" he answered. "Go and see." When they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fishes."

³⁹ Then he directed them to make all sit down by companies on the green grass. ⁴⁰ And they sat down like beds in a garden, by hundreds and by fifties. ⁴¹ Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven he blessed, broke the loaves in pieces, and kept giving to the disciples to distribute. ⁴² The two fish also he divided to them all. ⁴³ All ate and had enough; and they carried away broken fragments of bread and of fish, enough to fill twelve baskets. ⁴⁴ Those who ate the bread were five thousand adult men.

¹⁰ On their return the apostles told him what they had done. and he took them and withdrew in private to a town called Bethsaida. ¹¹ But when the crowd learned this they followed him. He received them kindly and spoke to them concerning the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed restored to good health.

¹² But now the day began to decline, and the twelve came to him and said: "Send away the crowd so that they may go into the villages and surrounding the country to lodge and buy provisions; for here we are on a solitary place."

¹³ "Do you yourselves give them food," he answered. "We have nothing," they replied "Except five loaves, and a couple fish, unless you mean for us to go and buy provisions for all the crowd." ¹⁴ (For there were about five thousand men.) "Make them sit down in table-companies, of about fifty each," he said to his disciples. ¹⁵ This they did, and made them all sit down. ¹⁶ Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up in heaven, he blessed them, broke them in pieces, and began to giving to his disciples to apportion among the crowd. ¹⁷ So they ate and were filled, all of them. And there was picked up that which remained over to them, of broken pieces, twelve basketfuls.

¹ After this Jesus went away across the Sea of Galilee (that is the lake of Tiberias). ² A great crowd were following him, because they witnessed the signs which he was continually performing among those who were ill. ³ Then Jesus walked up the hills and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Jewish feast, the Passover, was at hand.

⁴ Accordingly when he looked up, and perceived a great crowd was coming unto him, ⁵ he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" ⁶ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he intended to do.

⁷ "Thirty-five dollars worth of bread," answered Philip, "is not enough for them, so that each can take a morsel."

⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon, said to him. ⁹ "There is a lad who has five barley loaves and a couple of fish; but what is that among so many?"

¹⁰ "Make the men sit down," said Jesus. The ground was covered with thick grass; so the men sat down, in numbers about five thousand. "of righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you will no longer see me; ¹¹ Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks he distributed them among those who were seated; in like manner also of the fish, as much as they wished,

¹² and when they were satisfied, he said to his disciples, "Gather up the fragments that are left, so that nothing may be wasted." ¹³ So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves??he broken pieces that were left after they had eaten.

¹⁴ So when the people saw the sign which he had performed, they said, "This is in the truth the Prophet who is to come into the world." ¹⁵ When Jesus perceived that they intended to seize him in order to make him a king, he retired again to the hill all by himself.