because Herod stood in awe of ¹  John and protected him, since he knew that John ²  was a righteous and holy man. When Herod ³  heard him, he was thoroughly baffled, ⁴  and yet ⁵  he liked to listen to John. ⁶ 

John answered them, ¹  “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize, ² 

John replied, ¹  “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.

beginning from his baptism by John until the day he ¹  was taken up from us – one of these must become a witness of his resurrection together with us.”

But John ¹  tried to prevent ²  him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”

Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: ¹  first, Simon ²  (called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee and John his brother;

and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead! And because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”

For Herod had arrested John, bound him, ¹  and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

Instructed by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”

Six days later ¹  Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, ²  and led them privately up a high mountain.

Going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother in their ¹  boat mending nets.

to James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, ¹  he gave the name Boanerges (that is, “sons of thunder”);

But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised!”

So ¹  she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother ²  said, “The head of John the baptizer.” ³ 

Immediately she hurried back to the king and made her request: ¹  “I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.”

Then ¹  James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

But if we say, ‘From people – ’” (they feared the crowd, for they all considered John to be truly a prophet).

So ¹  while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, ²  and Andrew asked him privately,

While the people were filled with anticipation ¹  and they all wondered ²  whether perhaps John ³  could be the Christ, ⁴ 

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater ¹  than John. ²  Yet the one who is least ³  in the kingdom of God ⁴  is greater than he is.”