English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them,
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At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said,
2 "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.
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"This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat.
3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away."
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If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way - some of them have come a long distance."
4 And his disciples answered him, "How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?"
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His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?"
5 And he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven."
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He asked, "How much bread do you have?" "Seven loaves," they said.
6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.
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So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd.
7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.
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They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well.
8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
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The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected.
9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.
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There were well over four thousand at the meal. Then he sent them home.
10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
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He himself went straight to the boat with his disciples and set out for Dalmanoutha.
11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
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When they arrived, the Pharisees came out and started in on him, badgering him to prove himself, pushing him up against the wall.
12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
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Provoked, he said, "Why does this generation clamor for miraculous guarantees? If I have anything to say about it, you'll not get so much as a hint of a guarantee."
13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
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He then left them, got back in the boat, and headed for the other side.
14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
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But the disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Except for a single loaf of bread, there wasn't a crumb in the boat.
15 And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
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Jesus warned, "Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod."
16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.
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Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread.
17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
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Jesus overheard and said, "Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don't you see the point of all this? Don't you get it at all?
18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
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19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve."
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Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?" They said, "Twelve."
20 "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven."
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"And the seven loaves for the four thousand - how many bags full of leftovers did you get?" "Seven."
21 And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"
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He said, "Do you still not get it?"
22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.
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They arrived at Bethsaida. Some people brought a sightless man and begged Jesus to give him a healing touch.
23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?"
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Taking him by the hand, he led him out of the village. He put spit in the man's eyes, laid hands on him, and asked, "Do you see anything?"
24 And he looked up and said, "I see men, but they look like trees, walking."
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He looked up. "I see men. They look like walking trees."
25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
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So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus.
26 And he sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."
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Jesus sent him straight home, telling him, "Don't enter the village."
27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"
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Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, "Who do the people say I am?"
28 And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."
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"Some say 'John the Baptizer,'" they said. "Others say 'Elijah.' Still others say 'one of the prophets.'"
29 And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."
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He then asked, "And you - what are you saying about me? Who am I?" Peter gave the answer: "You are the Christ, the Messiah."
30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
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Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone.
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
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He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive."
32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
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He said this simply and clearly so they couldn't miss it.
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
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But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works."
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
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Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
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Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.
36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
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What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?
37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
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What could you ever trade your soul for?
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
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"If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.