1 In those days when a large crowd had again assembled and had nothing to eat, Jesus called together his disciples and said to them.
2 "My heart aches for the crowd, because they have remained with me three days now, and they have nothing to eat;
3 and if I send them away fasting to their homes, they will faint on the way. Moreover, some of them are from a distance."
4 "Where will it be possible," answered his disciples, "for one to fill these men with bread in a lonely place like this?"
5 He asked them, "How many loaves have you?" "Seven," they said.
6 So he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground; and when he had taken the seven loaves, he gave thanks, broke them, and gave to his disciples to distribute to the crowd.
7 They had also a few small fish; after blessing these he told his disciples to distribute them also.
8 They ate and were filled and they took up of broken pieces that were left, seven hampers.
9 They that had eaten were about four thousand.
10 Then he sent them away, got at once into the boat with his disciples. and came into the district of Dalmanutha.
11 And the Pharisees came out and began to question him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, by way of testing him.
12 At this Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit, and said. "Why does the present generation seek a sign? In solemn truth I tell you that no sign shall be given this generation."
13 Then he left them, and getting into the boat again, went away to the other side,
14 Now they had forgotten to take bread, and had not in the boat with them more than one loaf.
15 So he gave them this warning. "Look out! Be on the watch against the leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod."
16 And they began arguing with one another because they had no bread, He noted this and said to them.
17 "Why are you arguing together because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive and understand?
18 Are your minds so slow to comprehend? You have eyes, do you not see? You have ears, do you not hear?
19 Do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets of broken pieces did you take up?" "Twelve," they said.
20 "And when the seven for the four thousand, how many hampers full of fragments did you pick up?"
21 "Do you not yet understand?" he said.
22 Then they came to Bethsaida, where some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and begged him to touch him.
23 Taking the blind man by the hand, he led him outside the village; and, after spitting on his eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, "Can you make out anything?"
24 The man looked up and said, "I can make out the people, for as they move about, I see them like trees."
25 Then Jesus again put his hands on the mans eyes; and the man, staring straight ahead, recovered his sight and continued to see everything perfectly.
26 Then Jesus sent him home, saying, "Do not even go into the village."
27 From there Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he began to question his disciples saying, "Who do people say I am?"
28 And they told him. "Some say Johnthe Baptist, others, Elijah, and others that you are one of the prophets."
29 And he continued questioning them, "But you yourselves, Who do you say I am?" Peter in reply said to him, "You are Christ."
30 Then he strictly charged them not to say this about him to any one;
31 and he began to explain to them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests, and the Scribes, and be put to death,and after two days rise again.
32 This he told them quite openly. Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him.
33 But he turned round, and looked upon his disciples, and rebuked Peter. "Get thee behind me, Satan," he said, "for your thoughts are not Gods thoughts, but mans."
34 Then summoning the crowd to him, with his disciples. he said. "If any man wishes to follow me, let him renounce self, take up his cross, and so follow me.
35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever, for my sake and the gospels, loses his life will save it.
36 For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own life?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?
38 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this unfaithful and wicked generation, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."