Four Thousand Fed

8 In those days, when there was again a large crowd [gathered before Him] and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and told them,^{(A) 2} “I feel compassion for the crowd; they have been with Me now for three days and have nothing [left] to eat. ³ If I send them away to their homes hungry, they will faint [from exhaustion] on the road; because some of them have come a long way.” ⁴ His disciples replied to Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this isolated place to feed these people?” ⁵ He asked them, “How many loaves [of bread] do you have?” They said, “Seven.” ⁶ He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and [repeatedly] gave them to His disciples to set before them, and they served the crowd. ⁷ They also had a few small fish; and when Jesus had blessed them [and given thanks], He ordered these [fish] to be set before them as well. ⁸ And the people ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ⁹ About four thousand [men] were there [besides women and children]; and He sent them away. ¹⁰ Then immediately He got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of ^[a]Dalmanutha.

¹¹ The Pharisees came out and began to argue [contentiously and debate] with Him, demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him [because of their unbelief]. ¹² He groaned and sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^[b]no sign will be given to this generation!” ¹³ Leaving them, He again boarded the boat and left for the other side.

¹⁴ Now the disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵ Jesus repeatedly ordered them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the ^[c]leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” ¹⁶ They began discussing this with one another, saying, “It is because we have no bread [that He said this].” ¹⁷ Jesus, aware of this [discussion], said to them, “Why are you discussing [the fact] that you have no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?^{(B) 18} Though you have eyes, do you not see? And though you have ears, do you not hear and listen [to what I have said]? And do you not remember,^{(C) 19} when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They answered, “Twelve.” ²⁰ “And [when I broke] the seven [loaves] for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they answered, “Seven.” ²¹ And He was saying to them, “Do you still not understand?”