1 On that day Jesus went out of the house
and sat by the seaside.
2 Great multitudes gathered to him, so
that he entered into a boat and sat; and all
the multitude stood on the beach.
3 He spoke to them many things in parables,
saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to
sow.
4 As he sowed, some seeds fell by the
roadside, and the birds came and devoured
them.
5 Others fell on rocky ground, where
they didn’t have much soil, and immediately
they sprang up, because they had no
depth of earth.
6 When the sun had risen, they were
scorched. Because they had no root, they
withered away.
7 Others fell among thorns. The thorns
grew up and choked them.
8 Others fell on good soil and yielded
fruit: some one hundred times as much,
some sixty, and some thirty.
9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10 The disciples came, and said to him,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered them, “To you it is given
to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of
Heaven, but it is not given to them.
12 For whoever has, to him will be given,
and he will have abundance; but whoever
doesn’t have, from him will be taken away
even that which he has.
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables,
because seeing they don’t see, and hearing,
they don’t hear, neither do they understand.
14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled,
which says,
‘By hearing you will hear,
and will in no way understand;
Seeing you will see,
and will in no way perceive;
15 for this people’s heart has grown callous,
their ears are dull of hearing,
and they have closed their eyes;
or else perhaps they might perceive with
their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and would turn again,
and I would heal them.’*
16 “But blessed are your eyes, for they
see; and your ears, for they hear.
17 For most certainly I tell you that many
prophets and righteous men desired to see
the things which you see, and didn’t see
them; and to hear the things which you
hear, and didn’t hear them.
18 “Hear, then, the parable of the farmer.
19 When anyone hears the word of the
Kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the
evil one comes and snatches away that
which has been sown in his heart. This is
what was sown by the roadside.
20 What was sown on the rocky places,
this is he who hears the word and immediately
with joy receives it;
21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures
for a while. When oppression or
persecution arises because of the word,
immediately he stumbles.
22 What was sown among the thorns, this
is he who hears the word, but the cares
of this age and the deceitfulness of riches
choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23 What was sown on the good ground,
this is he who hears the word and understands
it, who most certainly bears fruit
and produces, some one hundred times as
much, some sixty, and some thirty.”
24 He set another parable before them,
saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a
man who sowed good seed in his field,
25 but while people slept, his enemy
came and sowed darnel weeds† also
among the wheat, and went away.
26 But when the blade sprang up and
produced grain, then the darnel weeds appeared
also.
27 The servants of the householder came
and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good
seed in your field? Where did these darnel
weeds come from?’
28 “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done
this.’
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want
us to go and gather them up?’
29 “But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while
you gather up the darnel weeds, you root
up the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest,
and in the harvest time I will tell
the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel
weeds, and bind them in bundles to
burn them; but gather the wheat into my
barn.” ’ ” 31 He set another parable before them,
saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a
grain of mustard seed which a man took,
and sowed in his field,
32 which indeed is smaller than all seeds.
But when it is grown, it is greater than the
herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds
of the air come and lodge in its branches.”
33 He spoke another parable to them.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast
which a woman took and hid in three measures‡
of meal, until it was all leavened.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables
to the multitudes; and without a parable,
he didn’t speak to them,
35 that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken through the prophet, saying,
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the
foundation of the world.”*
36 Then Jesus sent the multitudes away,
and went into the house. His disciples
came to him, saying, “Explain to us the
parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”
37 He answered them, “He who sows the
good seed is the Son of Man,
38 the field is the world, the good seeds
are the children of the Kingdom, and the
darnel weeds are the children of the evil
one.
39 The enemy who sowed them is the
devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and
the reapers are angels.
40 As therefore the darnel weeds are
gathered up and burned with fire; so will
it be at the end of this age.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels,
and they will gather out of his Kingdom
all things that cause stumbling and
those who do iniquity,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of
fire. There will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the
sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He
who has ears to hear, let him hear.
44 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like
treasure hidden in the field, which a man
found and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells
all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like
a man who is a merchant seeking fine
pearls,
46 who having found one pearl of great
price, he went and sold all that he had and
bought it.
47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like
a dragnet that was cast into the sea and
gathered some fish of every kind,
48 which, when it was filled, fishermen
drew up on the beach. They sat down and
gathered the good into containers, but the
bad they threw away.
49 So it will be in the end of the world.§
The angels will come and separate the
wicked from among the righteous,
50 and will cast them into the furnace of
fire. There will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.”
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood
all these things?”
They answered him, “Yes, Lord.”
52 He said to them, “Therefore every
scribe who has been made a disciple in
the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who
is a householder, who brings out of his
treasure new and old things.”
53 When Jesus had finished these parables,
he departed from there.
54 Coming into his own country, he
taught them in their synagogue, so that
they were astonished and said, “Where did
this man get this wisdom and these mighty
works?
55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t
his mother called Mary, and his brothers
James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?†
56 Aren’t all of his sisters with us? Where
then did this man get all of these things?”
57 They were offended by him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not
without honor, except in his own country
and in his own house.”
58 He didn’t do many mighty works there
because of their unbelief.
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