Marcos 6

The apostles returned to Jesus to report what they had done. Then they all went off to a lonely place, but many people followed them.

30 The twelve apostles returned to Jesus from the places to which they had gone. They reported to him what they had done and what they had taught to people. 31 He said to them, "Come with me to a place where no people are living, in order that we can be alone and rest a little while!" He said this because many people were continually coming to them and going away again, with the result that Jesus and his disciples did not have time to eat or do anything else. 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a place where no people were living. 33 But many people saw them leaving. They also recognized that they were Jesus and the disciples, and they saw where they were going. So they ran ahead on land from all the nearby towns to the place where Jesus and his disciples were going. They actually arrived there before Jesus and the disciples. 34 As Jesus and his disciples got out of the boat, Jesus saw this large crowd. He felt sorry for them because they were confused, like sheep that do not have a shepherd. So he taught them many things.

When it became late in the afternoon the people became hungry and there was no place to obtain food; as a result, Jesus miraculously provided food for them.

35 Late in the afternoon, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a place where no people live and it is very late. 36 So send the people away in order that they may go to the surrounding farms and villages in order that they can buy for themselves something to eat!" 37 But he replied, "No, you yourselves give them something to eat!" They replied, "◄We could not buy enough bread to feed this crowd, even if we had as much money as a man earns by working 200 days!/How could we buy enough bread to feed this mob, even if we had as much money as a man earns by working 200 days?►" [RHQ] 38 But he replied to them, "How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and find out!" They went and found out and then they told him, "We have only five flat loaves and two cooked fish!" 39 He instructed the disciples to tell all the people to sit down on the green grass. 40 So the people sat in groups. There were 50 people in some groups and 100 people in other groups. 41 Jesus took the five flat loaves and the two fish. He looked up towards heaven and thanked God for them. Then he broke the loaves and fish into pieces and kept giving them to the disciples in order that they would distribute them to the people. 42 Everyone ate this food until they all had enough to eat! 43 The disciples then collected twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and of the fish that were left over. 44 There were approximately 5,000 men who ate the bread and fish. They did not even count the women and children.