Matthew 14 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

The Death of John the Baptist

(Mar 6:14–29; Luk 9:7–9 )

Mat 14:1When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[fn] heard about Jesus,

Mat 14:2he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”

Mat 14:3

Mat 14:3For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip).

Mat 14:4

Mat 14:4John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.”

Mat 14:5

Mat 14:5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.

Mat 14:6

Mat 14:6But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him,

Mat 14:7

Mat 14:7so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted.

Mat 14:8

Mat 14:8At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!”

Mat 14:9

Mat 14:9Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders.

Mat 14:10

Mat 14:10So John was beheaded in the prison,

Mat 14:11

Mat 14:11and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

Mat 14:12

Mat 14:12Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

(Mar 6:30–44; Luk 9:10–17; Jhn 6:1–14 )

Mat 14:13

Mat 14:13As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns.

Mat 14:14

Mat 14:14Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Mat 14:15

Mat 14:15That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

Mat 14:16

Mat 14:16But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

Mat 14:17

Mat 14:17“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.

Mat 14:18

Mat 14:18“Bring them here,” he said.

Mat 14:19

Mat 14:19Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people.

Mat 14:20

Mat 14:20They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.

Mat 14:21

Mat 14:21About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

Jesus Walks on Water

(Mar 6:45–52; Jhn 6:15–21 )

Mat 14:22

Mat 14:22Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home.

Mat 14:23

Mat 14:23After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

Mat 14:24

Mat 14:24Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.

Mat 14:25

Mat 14:25About three o’clock in the morning[fn] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.

Mat 14:26

Mat 14:26When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

Mat 14:27

Mat 14:27But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here![fn]”

Mat 14:28

Mat 14:28Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

Mat 14:29

Mat 14:29“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

Mat 14:30

Mat 14:30But when he saw the strong[fn] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Mat 14:31

Mat 14:31Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Mat 14:32

Mat 14:32When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.

Mat 14:33

Mat 14:33Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

(Mar 6:53–56 )

Mat 14:34

Mat 14:34After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret.

Mat 14:35

Mat 14:35When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed.

Mat 14:36

Mat 14:36They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(14:1)

Greek Herod the tetrarch. Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod and was ruler over Galilee.

(14:25)

Greek In the fourth watch of the night.

(14:27)

Or The ‘I AM’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.

(14:30)

Some manuscripts do not include strong.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.