Marcos 6

22 Now [Salome] the daughter of Herodias came in and danced [for the men]. She pleased and beguiled Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the *6:22 Salome was probably only fourteen or fifteen years old.girl, "Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you." 23 And he swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give it to you; *6:23 This was intended as an expression of generosity rather than a literal offer. In reality Herod was a tetrarch, a puppet ruler under Rome, and did not have authority over a "kingdom."up to half of my kingdom." [Esth 5:3, 6] 24 She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" And Herodias replied, "The head of John the Baptist!" 25 And she rushed back to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter!" 26 The king was deeply grieved, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests [who might have regarded him as weak], he was unwilling to [break his word and] refuse her. 27 So the king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring back John’s head. And he went and had John beheaded in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.