Mark 6:1-29

Teaching at Nazareth

1 ¹Jesus went out from there and came into ²His hometown; and His disciples followed Him.

2 When the Sabbath came, He began ³to teach in the synagogue; and the ⁴many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?

3 "Is not this ⁵the carpenter, ⁶the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not ⁷His sisters here with us?" And they took ⁸offense at Him.

4 Jesus said to them, "⁹A prophet is not without honor except in ¹⁰his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household."

5 And He could do no * miracle there except that He ¹¹laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.

6 And He wondered at their unbelief. ¹²And He was going around * the villages teaching.

The Twelve Sent Out

7 ¹³And ¹⁴He summoned the twelve and began to send them out ¹⁵in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits;

8 ¹⁶and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff -no bread, no bag, no money in their belt -

9 but to wear sandals; and He added, "Do not put on two tunics."

10 And He said to them, "Wherever * you enter a house, stay there until you leave town.

11 "Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, ¹⁷shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them."

12 ¹⁸They went out and preached that men should repent.

13 And they were casting out many demons and ¹⁹were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

John's Fate Recalled

14 ²⁰And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, "²¹John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him."

15 But others were saying, "He is ²²Elijah." And others were saying, "He is ²³a prophet, like one of the prophets of old."

16 But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, "John, whom I beheaded, has risen!"

17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of ²⁴Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.

18 For John had been saying to Herod, "²⁵It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

19 ²⁶Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so;

20 for ²⁷Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.

21 A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday ²⁸gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men ²⁹of Galilee;

22 and when the daughter of ³⁰Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever * you want and I will give it to you."

23 And he swore to her, "Whatever * you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to ³¹half of my kingdom."

24 And she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."

25 Immediately she came in a hurry 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 although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling * to refuse her.

27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded 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 about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.

Cross References

• 1. Mark 6:1-6: {Matthew 13:54-58}
• 2. Matthew 13:54, 57; Luke 4:16, 23
• 3. Matthew 4:23; Mark 10:1
• 4. Matthew 7:28
• 5. Matthew 13:55
• 6. Matthew 12:46
• 7. Matthew 13:56
• 8. Matthew 11:6
• 9. Matthew 13:57; John 4:44
• 10. Mark 6:1
• 11. Mark 5:23
• 12. Matthew 9:35; Mark 1:39; Mark 10:1; Luke 13:22
• 13. Mark 6:7-11: {Matt 10:1, 9-14; Luke 9:1, 3-5;} Luke 10:4-11
• 14. Matthew 10:1, 5; Mark 3:13; Luke 9:1
• 15. Luke 10:1
• 16. Matthew 10:10
• 17. Matthew 10:14; Acts 13:51
• 18. Matthew 11:1; Luke 9:6
• 19. James 5:14
• 20. Mark 6:14-29: {Matthew 14:1-12;} Mark 6:14-16: {Luke 9:7-9}
• 21. Matthew 14:2; Luke 9:19
• 22. Matthew 16:14; Mark 8:28
• 23. Matthew 21:11
• 24. Matthew 14:3; Luke 3:19
• 25. Matthew 14:4
• 26. Matthew 14:3
• 27. Matthew 21:26
• 28. Esther 1:3; Esther 2:18
• 29. Luke 3:1
• 30. Matthew 14:3
• 31. Esther 5:3, 6; Esther 7:2

Footnotes

• [a] Or "His own part of the country"
• [b] Or "works of power"
• [c] Or "Jacob"
• [d] Or "his own part of the country"
• [e] Or "work of power"
• [f] Or "knapsack" or "beggar's bag"
• [g] Lit "being shod with"
• [h] Or "inner garments"
• [i] Lit "go out from there"
• [j] Lit "under your feet"
• [k] Or "proclaimed as a herald"
• [l] Lit "and"
• [m] Lit "was hearing him gladly"
• [n] I.e. chiliarchs, in command of a thousand troops
• [o] Lit "those who reclined at the table with him"
• [p] Lit "those reclining at the table"