Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Matthew 14:15-21 and Luke 9:12-17 and John 6:4-13 and Mark 6:35-44 (RSV)
15: When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is
a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the
villages and buy food for themselves."
16: Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
17: They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish."
18: And he said, "Bring them here to me."
19: Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the
five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and
gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
20: And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets
full of the broken pieces left over.
21: And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and
children.
12: Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to
him, "Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and country round about, to
lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a lonely place."
13: But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We
have no more than five loaves and two fish -- unless we are to go and buy food
for all these people."
14: For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples,
"Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each."
15: And they did so, and made them all sit down.
16: And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven,
and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the
crowd.
17: And all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over,
twelve baskets of broken pieces.
4: Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5: Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to
him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may
eat?"
6: This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
7: Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread
for each of them to get a little."
8: One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
9: "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what
are they among so many?"
10: Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in
the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11: Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he
distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they
wanted.
12: And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up
the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost."
13: So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.
35: And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This
is a lonely place, and the hour is now late;
36: send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and
buy themselves something to eat."
37: But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said
to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to
them to eat?"
38: And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." And when
they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish."
39: Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green
grass.
40: So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.
41: And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven,
and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before
the people; and he divided the two fish among them all.
42: And they all ate and were satisfied.
43: And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the
fish.
44: And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.