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¹ IN those days, when there was a large multitude, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples and said to them,² I have pity for this people, for they have remained with me three days, and they have nothing to eat;³ And if I dismiss them to their homes, while they are fasting, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from a distance.⁴ His disciples said to him, How can any man here in this lonely place, feed all of these with bread?⁵ And he asked them, How many loaves have you? They said to him, Seven.⁶ So he commanded the people to sit on the ground; and he took the seven loaves of bread, and he blessed them, and broke them, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and they set them before the people.⁷ And there were a few fishes; he blessed them also, and commanded to set them before them.⁸ So they ate and were satisfied, and they took up seven baskets of fragments which were left over.⁹ The men who ate were about four thousand; and he dismissed them.

¹⁰ And immediately he went up into the boat with his disciples, and he came to the country of Dalmanutha.¹¹ And the Pharisees came out and began to question him, and they asked him for a sign from heaven, so as to test him.¹² And he sighed in his spirit and said, Why does this generation want a sign? truly I say to you, No sign will be given to this generation.¹³ And he left them, and went up into the boat, and departed from that port.¹⁴ And they had forgotten to take bread; except one loaf they had none with them in the boat.¹⁵ And he commanded them and said to them, Look out, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod.¹⁶ They were reasoning among themselves and saying, It is because we have no bread.¹⁷ But Jesus knew it and said to them, What are you thinking, because you have no bread? Do you not even yet know, and do you not understand? Is your heart still hard?¹⁸ You have eyes, and yet do you not see? You have ears, and yet do you not hear? And do you not remember?¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves of bread for the five thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you take up? They said to him, Twelve.²⁰ He said to them, And when the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up? They said, Seven.²¹ He said to them, How is it then that even yet you cannot understand?

²² And he came to Bethsaida; and they brought to him a blind man, and they besought him to touch him.²³ And he took the blind man by the hand and brought him outside the town; and he spat on his eyes, and put his hands on him, and asked him what he saw.²⁴ And he looked and said, I see men like trees, walking.²⁵ Again he put his hands over his eyes, and he was restored, and saw everything clearly.²⁶ And he sent him to his house, saying, Do not enter even into the town, nor tell it to anyone in the town.

²⁷ And Jesus went out, and his disciples, to the towns of Caesarea of Philippi; and on the road he asked his disciples and said to them, What do men say about me, that I am?²⁸ They said, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and yet others, One of the prophets.²⁹ Jesus said to them, But you, who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered and said to him, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.³⁰ And he warned them not to tell any man about him.³¹ Then he began to teach them, that the Son of man will have to suffer a great deal, and be rejected by the elders, and the high priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise again on the third day.³² And he spoke that word openly. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.³³ But he turned around and looked on his disciples, and he rebuked Simon, and said, Get behind me, Satan; for you are not thinking the things of God, but of men.³⁴ And Jesus called the people together with his disciples, and said to them, He who wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.³⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the sake of my Gospel, he will save it.³⁶ For how could a man be benefited, if he should gain the whole world and lose his life?³⁷ Or what could a man give in exchange for his life?³⁸ Whoever, therefore, is ashamed of me and of my words in this sinful and adulterous generation, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father with his holy angels.