6 ¹⁴ Now King Herod heard of it, for the fame of Jesus had spread; and people were saying, 'John the Baptist has been raised to life, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.' 6 ¹⁵ Others said, 'It is Elijah.' Others again, 'He is a prophet like one of the old prophets.' 6 ¹⁶ But Herod, when he heard of it, said, 'This is John, whom I beheaded, raised from the dead.'
6 ¹⁷ For this same Herod had sent and arrested John and put him in prison at the instance of his brother Philip's wife, Herodias, whom he had marrie d. 6 ¹⁸ John is had told Herod, 'You have no right to your brother's wife.' 6 ¹⁹ Thus Herodias nursed a grudge against him and would willingly have killed him, but she could not; 6 ²⁰ for Herod went in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man; so he kept him in custody. He liked to listen to him, although the listening left him greatly perplexed.
6 ²¹ Herodias found her opportunity when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet to his chief officials and commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 6 ²² Her daughter came in and danced, and so delighted Herod and his guests that the king said to the girl, 'Ask what you like and I will give it you.' 6 ²³ And he swore an oath to her: 'Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.' 6 ²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for?' She replied, 'The head of John the Baptist.' 6 ²⁵ The girl hastened back at once to the king with her request: 'I want you to give me here and now, on a dish, the head of John the Baptist.' 6 ²⁶ The king was greatly distressed, but out of regard for his oath and for his guests he could not bring himself to refuse her. 6 ²⁷ So the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. The soldier went off and beheaded him in the prison, 6 ²⁸ brought the head on a dish, and gave it to the girl; and she gave it to her mother.
6 ²⁹ When John's disciples heard the news, they came and took his body away and laid it in a tomb.