14 King Herod heard about Jesus, because Jesus was now well known. Some people said, “He is John the Baptist. He is risen from death. That is the reason he can work these miracles.”
15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”Other people said, “Jesus is a prophet. He is like the prophets who lived long ago.”
16 Herod heard all these things about Jesus. He said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has been raised from death!”
17 Herod himself had ordered his soldiers to arrest John, and John was put in prison. Herod did this to please his wife, Herodias. Herodias was the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. But then Herod married her.
18 John told Herod that it was not lawful for him to be married to his brother’s wife.
19 So Herodias hated John and wanted to kill him. But she could not because of Herod.
20 Herod was afraid to kill John because he knew John was a good and holy man. So Herod protected John. Also, Herod enjoyed listening to John preach. But John’s preaching always bothered him.