14 Around that time, King Herodes (Herod) the Tetrarch heard the news about Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus), 2 and he said to his slaves, “This must be Yohan-the-immerser having come back from the dead, and so that’s why he can do all these miracles!”

3 Herodes said that because he’d previously had Yohan (John; Grk. Yoannes) arrested and put in prison because of Herodias, his brother Filippos’s (Philip’s) wife.[ref] 4 Yohan had been saying that it was against God’s law for Herodes to take his brother’s wife. 5 Herodes had been wanting to have Yohan executed, but he was afraid of the crowd because they considered Yohan to be a prophet.

6 However at Herodes’s birthday celebration, Herodias’s daughter had danced in front of them all and had pleased Herodes so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her anything she requested.

8 The young woman was urged on by her mother to tell Herodes that she wanted Yohan-the-immerser’s head on a plate.

9 The king was upset, but because of his oaths in front of the other guests, he commanded it to be so 10 and sent his soldiers to behead Yohan in prison. 11 So then his head was brought in on a plate and given to the young woman, who then took it to her mother. 12 Hearing the news, Yohan’s apprentices went to the prison and collected his body and buried it. Then they went and told Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus).

14 Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus) was now becoming well known and King Herodes (Herod) Antipas heard about him. He thought that maybe Yohan-the-immerser had come back to life and that’s why Yeshua was able to do miracles.[ref]

15 But others thought it was the promised return of Eliyah (Elijah), and yet others thought he must be another prophet like the ones in the scriptures.

16 But hearing about Yeshua, Herodes was telling people, “That Yohan (John; Grk. Yoannes) who I had beheaded, he must have come back to life!” 17 Because Herodes himself had had Yohan arrested and put in prison because he had married Herodias, his brother Filippos’s (Philip’s) wife.[ref] 18 Yohan had been telling the king that it was wrong for him to marry his brother’s wife, 19 and so Herodias resented him enough to want to kill him, but Herodes hadn’t be able to 20 because he respected Yohan as a righteous and holy teacher and so he kept him alive. He often enjoyed hearing from Yohan and thought a lot about what he said.

21 However, an opportunity came at Herodes’s birthday celebration, when he threw a feast for his top officials and generals, and for the leaders in Galil. 22 The daughter of Herodias came in and danced for them, and the king and his party guests all enjoyed it. So the king said to the young woman, “Just ask me for anything and I’ll give it to you.” 23 Then he promised her, “Even if you asked for half of my kingdom, I’d give it to you!”

24 So she went out and asked her mother what she should ask for. Her mother told her that she should ask for Yohan’s head.

25 So going back into the party, she said seriously to the king, “I would like the head of Yohan-the-immerser right now on a plate!”

26 The king was really upset with that, but because he’d made loud promises in front of all his guests, he couldn’t say no. 27 So he ordered an executioner to go out and return with Yohan’s head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought the head into the party on a plate and gave it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 When Yohan’s followers heard about that, they came and fetched his body and put it into a tomb.

7 Herodes (Herod) the ruler of the Galili quarter heard about everything that was going on and was completely puzzled, because some people said that Yohan (John; Grk. Yoannes) the immerser had come back to life,[ref] 8 while others said that Eliyah (Elijah) had been spotted, and others that one of the other ancient prophets had come back to life. 9 “I beheaded Yohan,” King Herodes said, “so who is this man that I’m hearing so much about?” So he tried to find a way to see him.