1 A fter this, Jesus went to the farther side of the Sea of Galilee—that is, the Sea of Tiberias.

2 A nd a great crowd was following Him because they had seen the signs (miracles) which He performed upon those who were sick.

3 A nd Jesus walked up the mountainside and sat down there with His disciples.

4 N ow the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was approaching.

5 J esus looked up then, and seeing that a vast multitude was coming toward Him, He said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread, so that all these people may eat?

6 B ut He said this to prove (test) him, for He well knew what He was about to do.

7 P hilip answered Him, Two hundred pennies’ (forty dollars) worth of bread is not enough that everyone may receive even a little.

8 A nother of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,

9 T here is a little boy here, who has five barley loaves, and two small fish; but what are they among so many people?

10 J esus 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 J esus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples and the disciples to the reclining people; so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 W hen 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 S o 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 W hen 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!

15 T hen 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 W hen evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

17 A nd they took a boat and were going across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and still Jesus had not come back to them.

18 M eanwhile, the sea was getting rough and rising high because of a great and violent wind that was blowing.

19 w hen they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching the boat. And they were afraid (terrified).

20 B ut Jesus said to them, It is I; be not afraid!

21 T hen 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.

22 T he next day the crowd 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 B ut now some other boats from Tiberias had come in near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

24 S o 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 A nd when they found Him on the other side of the lake, they said to Him, Rabbi! When did You come here?

26 J esus 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 S top toiling and doing and producing for the food that perishes and decomposes, but strive and work and produce rather for the food which endures 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 T hey then said, What are we to do, that we may be working the works of God?

29 J esus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent.

30 T herefore they said to Him, What sign (miracle, wonderwork) will You perform then, so that we may see it and believe and rely on and adhere to You? What work have You ?

31 O ur forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as the Scripture says, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.

32 J esus then said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Moses did not give you the Bread from heaven, but it is My Father Who gives you the true heavenly Bread.

33 F or the Bread of God is He Who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.

34 T hen they said to Him, Lord, give us this bread always (all the time)!

35 J esus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time).

36 B ut I told you, although you have seen Me, still you do not believe and trust and have faith.

37 A ll whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out.

38 F or I have come down from heaven not to do My own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me.

39 A nd this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise up at the last day.

40 F or this is My Father’s will and His purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

41 N ow the Jews murmured and found fault with and grumbled about Jesus because He said, I am the Bread that came down from heaven.

42 T hey kept asking, Is not this Jesus, the Son of Joseph, Whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, I have come down from heaven?

43 S o Jesus answered them, Stop grumbling and saying things against Me to one another.

44 N o one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 I t is written in the Prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father comes to Me—

46 W hich does not imply that anyone has seen the Father except He Who comes from God; He has seen the Father.

47 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who believes in Me has (now possesses) eternal life.

48 I am the Bread of Life.

49 Y our forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

50 t his is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and never die.

51 I am this Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever; and also the Bread that I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh (body).

52 T hen the Jews angrily contended with one another, saying, How is He able to give us His flesh to eat?

53 A nd Jesus said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, you cannot have any life in you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood.

54 H e who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has (possesses now) eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

55 F or My flesh is true and genuine food, and My blood is true and genuine drink.

56 H e who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood dwells continually in Me, and I in him.

57 J ust as the living Father sent Me and I live by (through, because of) the Father, even so whoever continues to feed on Me shall live through and because of Me.

58 T his is the Bread that came down from heaven. It is not like the manna which our forefathers ate, and yet died; he who takes this Bread for his food shall live forever.

59 H e said these things in a synagogue while He was teaching at Capernaum.

60 W hen His disciples heard this, many of them said, This is a hard and difficult and strange saying (an offensive and unbearable message). Who can stand to hear it?

61 B ut Jesus, knowing within Himself that His disciples were complaining and protesting and grumbling about it, said to them: Is this a stumbling block and an offense to you?

62 W hat then if you should see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?

63 I t is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life.

64 B ut some of you fail to believe and trust and have faith. For Jesus knew from the first who did not believe and had no faith and who would betray Him and be false to Him.

65 A nd He said, This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted him by the Father.

66 A fter this, many of His disciples drew back (returned to their old associations) and no longer accompanied Him.

67 J esus said to the Twelve, Will you also go away?

68 S imon Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words (the message) of eternal life.

69 A nd we have learned to believe and trust, and we have come to know that You are the Holy One of God, the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of the living God.

70 J esus answered them, Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And one of you is a devil (of the evil one and a false accuser).

71 H e was speaking of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he was about to betray Him, he was one of the Twelve.