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.