9. There is a little boy here, who has [with him] five barley loaves, and two small fish; but what are they among so many people?
10. Jesus said, Make all the people recline (sit down). Now the ground (a pasture) was covered with thick grass at the spot, so the men threw themselves down, about 5,000 in number.
11. Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples and the disciples to the reclining people; so also [He did] with the fish, as much as they wanted.
12. When they had all had enough, He said to His disciples, Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted.
13. So accordingly they gathered them up, and they filled twelve [small hand] baskets with fragments left over by those who had eaten from the five barley loaves.
14. When the people saw the sign (miracle) that Jesus had performed, they began saying, Surely and beyond a doubt this is the Prophet Who is to come into the world! [Deut. 18:15, 18; John 1:21; Acts 3:22.]
15. Then Jesus, knowing that they meant to come and seize Him that they might make Him king, withdrew again to the hillside by Himself alone.
16. When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,
17. And they took a boat and were going across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and still Jesus had not [yet] come back to them.
18. Meanwhile, the sea was getting rough and rising high because of a great and violent wind that was blowing.
19. [However] when they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching the boat. And they were afraid (terrified).
20. But Jesus said to them, It is I; be not afraid! [I AM; stop being frightened!] [Exod. 3:14.]
21. Then they were quite willing and glad for Him to come into the boat. And now the boat went at once to the land they had steered toward. [And immediately they reached the shore toward which they had been slowly making their way.]
22. The next day the crowd [that still remained] standing on the other side of the sea realized that there had been only one small boat there, and that Jesus had not gone into it with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone away by themselves.
23. But now some other boats from Tiberias had come in near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
24. So the people, finding that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, themselves got into the small boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25. And when they found Him on the other side of the lake, they said to Him, Rabbi! When did You come here?
26. Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, you have been searching for Me, not because you saw the miracles and signs but because you were fed with the loaves and were filled and satisfied.
27. Stop toiling and doing and producing for the food that perishes and decomposes [in the using], but strive and work and produce rather for the [lasting] food which endures [continually] unto life eternal; the Son of Man will give (furnish) you that, for God the Father has authorized and certified Him and put His seal of endorsement upon Him.
28. They then said, What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be working the works of God? [What are we to do to carry out what God requires?]