New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples 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 for the crowd, because they have been with me now for 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 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance."
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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 His disciples replied, "How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?"
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His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?"
5 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 Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to 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 They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed.
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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 They ate and were filled; 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 Now 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, asking him for 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 ask for a sign? Truly I tell 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, and getting into the boat again, he went across 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 the disciples had forgotten to bring any 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 yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast 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 They said to one another, "It is because we have no bread."
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Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread.
17 And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not 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 Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to 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 collect?" 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 collect?" 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 Then he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"
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He said, "Do you still not get it?"
22 They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him 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 He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Can 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 the man looked up and said, "I can see people, 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 looked intently and 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 Then he sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not even go into the village."
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Jesus sent him straight home, telling him, "Don't enter the village."
27 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 answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still 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 He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah."
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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 sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
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Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone.
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, 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 He said all this quite openly. 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 looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
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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 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their 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 those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, 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 will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
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What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?
37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?
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What could you ever trade your soul for?
38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will 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."
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.