MARK 8 [†] l In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2[†] m “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4[†]And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5[†]And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said,  n “Seven.” 6[†]And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and  o having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7And they had a few small fish. And  p having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8[†]And  q they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over,  n seven baskets full. 9And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10[†]And immediately he got into  r the boat with his disciples and went to the district of  s Dalmanutha. [1]

11[†] t The Pharisees came and began to argue with him,  u seeking from him  v a sign from heaven  w to test him. 12[†]And  x he sighed deeply  y in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13[†]And  z he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

14[†]Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out;  a beware of  b the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of  c Herod.” [2] 16[†]And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17[†]And  d Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread?  e Do you not yet perceive  f or understand?  f Are your hearts hardened? 18 g Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19When I broke  h the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20“And  i the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21[†]And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

22[†]And they came  j to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23[†]And  k he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when  k he had  l spit on his eyes and  m laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25Then Jesus [3] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26And he sent him to his home, saying,  n “Do not even enter the village.”

27[†] o And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28And they told him,  p “John the Baptist; and others say,  q Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him,  r “You are  s the Christ.” 30 t And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

31[†] u And he began to teach them that  v the Son of Man must  w suffer many things and  x be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and  y after three days rise again. 32And he said this  z plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33[†]But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said,  a “Get behind me, Satan! For you  b are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

34[†]And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him  c deny himself and  d take up his cross and follow me. 35[†]For  d whoever would save his life [4] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake  e and the gospel’s will save it. 36 f For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37For  g what can a man give in return for his soul? 38[†]For  h whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this  i adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed  j when he comes in the glory of his Father with  k the holy angels.”