Feeding the Five Thousand

Free Bible Version (FBV)

Mat 14:13–21

13 When Jesus heard the news he went away by boat to a quiet place to be alone, but when the crowds learned where he was, they followed him on foot from the towns.
14 When Jesus got out of the boat and saw the huge crowds, he was full of sympathy for them, and healed their sick.
15 As evening came the disciples went up to him and said, “This place is miles from anywhere and it's getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus told them, “They don't need to leave. You give them something to eat!”
17 “All we have here are five loaves and a couple of fish,” they replied.
18 “Bring them to me,” said Jesus.
19 He told the crowds to sit down on the grass. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven and blessed them. After that he broke the loaves into pieces and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples gave it to the crowds.
20 Everybody ate until they were full. Then they collected up the leftovers which filled twelve baskets.
21 Some five thousand men ate the food, not counting women and children.

Mrk 6:30–44

30 The apostles returned and gathered around Jesus. They told him all they had done and what they had taught.
31 “Come with me, just yourselves. We'll go to a quiet place, and rest for a while,” Jesus told them, because there was so much coming and going that they didn't even have time to eat.
32 So they went by boat to a quiet place to be alone.
33 But people saw them leaving and recognized them. So people from all the surrounding towns ran ahead and got there before them.
34 When Jesus got off the boat he saw a huge crowd, and he felt pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them about many things.
35 It was getting late in the day and Jesus' disciples came to him. They told him, “We're miles from anywhere, and it's really late.
36 You should tell the people to go and buy themselves something to eat in the villages and countryside nearby.”
37 But Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.” “What? We'd need more than six month's pay to buy bread to feed all these people,” the disciples replied.
38 “Well, how much bread do you have?” Jesus asked. “Go and see.” They went and checked, and told him, “Five loaves, and a couple of fish.”
39 Jesus told everyone to sit down in groups on the green grass.
40 They sat in groups of hundreds and fifties.
41 Then he took the five loaves and the two fish. Looking up to heaven he blessed the food and broke the bread into pieces. Then he handed the bread to the disciples to give to the people, and he divided the fish up between all of them.
42 Everyone ate until they were full.
43 Then they collected up the leftovers of the bread and fish—twelve basketfuls.
44 A total of five thousand men plus their families ate the food.

Luk 9:10–17

10 When the apostles returned they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he left with them and went to a town called Bethsaida.
11 However, the crowds found out where he was going and followed him there. He welcomed them and explained the kingdom of God to them, and healed those who needed healing.
12 Late in the day, the twelve disciples came to him and said, “You should send the crowd away now so they can go to the villages and farms nearby and find a place to stay and food to eat—there's nothing here where we are.”
13 “You give them something to eat!” said Jesus. “All we have here are five loaves and two fish—unless you want us to go and buy food for everyone,” they said.
14 There were about five thousand men present. “Sit them down in groups of about fifty,” he told his disciples.
15 The disciples did so, and everybody sat down.
16 Jesus picked up the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed the food and broke it into pieces. He kept on giving the food to the disciples to share with the people.
17 Everybody ate until they were full, and then twelve baskets of leftovers were collected.

Jhn 6:1–14

1 After this, Jesus left to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also known as the Sea of Tiberias).
2 A large crowd was following him, for they'd seen his miracles of healing.
3 Jesus went up a hill and sat down there with his disciples.
4 The time for the Jewish festival of the Passover was approaching.
5 When Jesus looked up, and saw a large crowd coming towards him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buy enough bread to feed all these people?”
6 He only asked this to see how Philip would respond, because Jesus already knew what he was going to do.
7 “Two hundred silver coins wouldn't buy enough bread to give everyone even just a little,” Philip replied.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up.
9 “There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and a couple of fish, but what good is that when there are so many people?”
10 “Have everybody sit down,” Jesus said. There was plenty of grass there, so they all sat down, the men numbering around five thousand.
11 Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and had it handed out to the people as they sat there. Then he did the same with the fishes, making sure the people had as much as they wanted.
12 Once they were all full, he said to his disciples, “Collect what's left over so nothing is wasted.”
13 So they collected and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves the people had eaten.
14 When the people saw this miracle, they said, “Surely this is the Prophet who was to come into the world.”