Knox Bible

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After this, Jesus retired across the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias,

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and there was a great multitude following him; they had seen the miracles he performed over the sick.

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So Jesus went up on to the hill-side, and there sat down with his disciples.

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It was nearly the time of the Jews’ great feast, the paschal feast.

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And now, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a great multitude had gathered round him, Jesus said to Philip, Whence are we to buy bread for these folk to eat?

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In saying this, he was putting him to the test; he himself knew well enough what he meant to do.

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Philip answered him, Two hundred silver pieces would not buy enough bread for them, even to give each a little.

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One of his disciples (it was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother) said to him,

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There is a boy here, who has five barley loaves and two fishes; but what is that among so many?

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Then Jesus said, Make the men sit down. There was no lack of grass where they were; so the men sat down, about five thousand in number.

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And Jesus took the loaves, and gave thanks, and distributed them to the company, and a share of the fishes too, as much as they had a mind for.

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Then, when they had all had enough, he told his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing may be wasted.

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And when they gathered them up, they filled twelve baskets with the broken pieces left over by those who had eaten.

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When they saw the miracle Jesus had done, these men began to say, Beyond doubt, this is the prophet who is to come into the world.✻

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Knowing, then, that they meant to come and carry him off, so as to make a king of him, Jesus once again withdrew on to the hill-side all alone.✻

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His disciples, when evening came on, went down to the lake,

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and there, embarking on the boat, they began to cross the water to Capharnaum. Darkness had fallen, and Jesus had not yet come back to them.

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Meanwhile there was a strong wind blowing, and the sea was beginning to grow rough.

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And now they had rowed some twenty-five or thirty furlongs, when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and already drawing near to the boat. They were terrified:

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but he said to them, It is myself; do not be afraid.

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Then they took him on board willingly enough; and all at once their boat reached the land they were making for.✻

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Next morning, the multitude was still waiting on the opposite shore. They had seen that there was only one boat there, and that Jesus did not embark with his disciples on this boat, but left his disciples to go back alone.

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But now, since other boats from Tiberias had put in near the place where they ate the loaves when the Lord gave thanks over them,

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the multitude, finding neither Jesus nor his disciples there, embarked on these boats in their turn, and went back to Capharnaum to look for Jesus.

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And when they found that he had crossed the lake, they asked him, Master, when didst thou make thy way here?

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Jesus answered them, Believe me, if you are looking for me now, it is not because of the miracles you have seen; it is because you were fed with the loaves, and had your fill.

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You should not work to earn food which perishes in the using. Work to earn food which affords, continually, eternal life, such food as the Son of Man will give you; God, the Father, has authorized him.

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What shall we do, then, they asked him, so as to work in God’s service?

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Jesus answered them, This is the service God asks of you, to believe in the Man whom he has sent.

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So they said to him, Why then, what miracle canst thou do? We must see it before we trust thee; what canst thou effect?✻

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Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as the scripture says, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.✻

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Jesus said to them, Believe me when I tell you this; the bread that comes from heaven is not what Moses gave you. The real bread from heaven is given only by my Father.

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God’s gift of bread comes down from heaven and gives life to the whole world.

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Then, Lord, they said, give us this bread all the while.

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But Jesus told them, It is I who am the bread of life; he who comes to me will never be hungry, he who has faith in me will never know thirst.

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(But you, as I have told you, though you have seen me, do not believe in me.)✻

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All that the Father has entrusted to me will come to me, and him who comes to me I will never cast out.

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It is the will of him who sent me, not my own will, that I have come down from heaven to do;

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and he who sent me would have me keep without loss, and raise up at the last day, all he has entrusted to me.

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Yes, this is the will of him who sent me, that all those who believe in the Son when they see him should enjoy eternal life; I am to raise them up at the last day.

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The Jews were by now complaining of his saying, I am myself the bread which has come down from heaven.

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Is not this Jesus, they said, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother are well known to us? What does he mean by saying, I have come down from heaven?✻

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Jesus answered them, Do not whisper thus to one another.

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Nobody can come to me without being attracted towards me by the Father who sent me, so that I can raise him up at the last day.

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It is written in the book of the prophets, And they shall all have the Lord for their teacher;✻ everyone who listens to the Father and learns, comes to me.

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(Not that anyone has seen the Father, except him who comes from God; he alone has seen the Father.)

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Believe me when I tell you this; the man who has faith in me enjoys eternal life.

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It is I who am the bread of life.

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Your fathers, who ate manna in the desert, died none the less;

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the bread which comes down from heaven is such that he who eats of it never dies.

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I myself am the living bread that has come down from heaven.

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If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live for ever. And now, what is this bread which I am to give? It is my flesh, given for the life of the world.

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Then the Jews fell to disputing with one another, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

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Whereupon Jesus said to them, Believe me when I tell you this; you can have no life in yourselves, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood.

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The man who eats my flesh and drinks my blood enjoys eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

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My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink.

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He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, lives continually in me, and I in him.

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As I live because of the Father, the living Father who has sent me, so he who eats me will live, in his turn, because of me.

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Such is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not as it was with your fathers, who ate manna and died none the less; the man who eats this bread will live eternally.

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He said all this while he was teaching in the synagogue, at Capharnaum.

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And there were many of his disciples who said, when they heard it, This is strange talk, who can be expected to listen to it?

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But Jesus, inwardly aware that his disciples were complaining over it, said to them, Does this try your faith?

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What will you make of it, if you see the Son of Man ascending to the place where he was before?

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Only the spirit gives life; the flesh is of no avail; and the words I have been speaking to you are spirit, and life.✻

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But there are some, even among you, who do not believe. Jesus knew from the first which were those who did not believe, and which of them was to betray him.

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And he went on to say, That is what I meant when I told you that nobody can come to me unless he has received the gift from my Father.

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After this, many of his disciples went back to their old ways, and walked no more in his company.

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Whereupon Jesus said to the twelve, Would you, too, go away?

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Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom should we go? Thy words are the words of eternal life;

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we have learned to believe, and are assured that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.✻

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Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen all twelve of you? And one of you is a devil.

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He was speaking of Judas son of Simon, the Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, and was to betray him.