Herod the tetrarch sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. For John said unto Herod, |It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.|
And Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him: and she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe.
And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.