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

Six days later ¹  Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them, ² 

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.”

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.”

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

during the high priesthood ¹  of Annas and Caiaphas, the word ²  of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ 

So John ¹  said to the crowds ²  that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers! ³  Who warned you to flee ⁴  from the coming wrath?

John ¹  answered them, ²  “The person who has two tunics ³  must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”

But when John rebuked Herod ¹  the tetrarch ²  because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, ³  and because of all the evil deeds ⁴  that he had done,

Then ¹  they said to him, “John’s ²  disciples frequently fast ³  and pray, ⁴  and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, ⁵  but yours continue to eat and drink.” ⁶ 

(Now ¹  all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, ²  acknowledged ³  God’s justice, because they had been baptized ⁴  with John’s baptism.

However, the Pharisees ¹  and the experts in religious law ²  rejected God’s purpose ³  for themselves, because they had not been baptized ⁴  by John. ⁵ ) ⁶ 

Now Herod ¹  the tetrarch ²  heard about everything that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed, ³  because some people were saying that John ⁴  had been raised from the dead,

Herod said, “I had John ¹  beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus. ² 

They ¹  answered, ²  “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; ³  and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.” ⁴ 

Now ¹  about eight days ²  after these sayings, Jesus ³  took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray.

John answered, ¹  “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop ²  him because he is not a disciple ³  along with us.”

Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume ¹  them?” ² 

But if we say, ‘From people,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

Now ¹  this was ²  John’s ³  testimony ⁴  when the Jewish leaders ⁵  sent ⁶  priests and Levites from Jerusalem ⁷  to ask him, “Who are you?” ⁸