20. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.
21. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
22. Herodias’s own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
23. He even swore [many things] to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.”
24. She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”