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.