Herod had John the Baptizer imprisoned and then killed because John criticized Herod for marrying his brother’s wife.

Matthew 14:1-13

14 During that time Herod Antipas, the ruler, heard reports about Jesus performing miracles. 2 He said to his servants: “That must be John the Baptizer. He must have risen from the dead, and that is why he has power to perform miracles.” 3-4 3-4The reason Herod thought that was this: Herod had married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, while Philip was still living. So John had been saying to him, “What you did by marrying your brother’s wife while your brother is still alive is against God’s law!” Then, to please Herodias, Herod told his soldiers to arrest John. They bound him with chains and put him in prison. 5 Herod wanted to have John executed, but he was afraid that the people who had accepted what John taught would riot if he did that, because they believed that John was a prophet.

6 But when Herod gave a party to celebrate his birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for his guests. This pleased Herod. 7 So he promised to give her whatever she asked, and he asked God to punish him if he did not do what he had promised. 8 So Herodias’ daughter went and asked her mother what to ask for. Her mother told her to ask for John the Baptizer’s head. So her daughter went back and said to Herod: “Cut off the head of John the Baptizer and please bring it here on a platter so that my mother can know for sure that he is dead!” 9 The king was distressed because he now knew he should not have made that promise to her. But because he had made an oath in front of his guests when he made that promise, and he did not want them to think that he would not do what he had promised, he commanded that the girl be given what she requested. 10 He sent the executioner to go to the prison and to cut off John’s head. 11 The executioner did that, and put John’s head on a platter and gave it to the girl. Then the girl took it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples then went to the prison, took John’s body and buried it, and they reported to Jesus what had happened. 13 After Jesus heard that, he took just us disciples with him and we went by boat on Galilee Lake to an uninhabited place.