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The Parable of the Sower
1 Once again Jesus began to teach by the sea, and a *large crowd was gathered around him. So he got into †the boat and sat in it on the sea, while the entire crowd was beside the sea on the shore. 2 Then he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them, 3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell ‡along the path, and the §birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up immediately because it had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no fruit. 8 But other *seed fell into good soil, and as the seeds grew and increased, they produced fruit and bore †thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times more than what was sown.” 9 Then he ‡said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of Speaking in Parables
10 When he was alone with the twelve and the others who were around him, they asked him about the §parable. 11 So he said to them, “To you *it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything is spoken in parables, 12 so that
‘they may see but not perceive,
and hear but not understand,
lest they should turn back and be forgiven †of their sins.’ ”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
13 Then he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the other parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 Now some people are like the seed along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in ‡their hearts. 16 Likewise, some people are like the seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17 Yet they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary. When tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, they immediately fall away. 18 Others are like the seed sown among the thorns. §They hear the word, 19 but the cares of *this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But others are like the seed sown on the good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and bear †thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times more fruit than was sown.”
A Lamp Under a Basket
21 He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed? Is it not brought in to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden ‡that will not be made manifest, nor has anything been made secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then he said to them, “Consider what you hear. With the measure you use it will be measured to §you, *and more will be added to you who hear. 25 For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he does not know how. 28 †For the earth produces a crop by itself: first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 When the crop is ready, the man immediately sends in the sickle, for the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then Jesus said, “To what ‡shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to §describe it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth. 32 Yet when it is sown, it grows and becomes larger than all the garden plants and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.”
The Use of Parables
33 With many similar parables he spoke the word to them, to the extent that they were able to understand it. 34 He did not *speak to them without using a parable, but privately he explained everything to †his disciples.
Jesus Calms a Storm
35 On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other ‡little boats were also with him. 37 Now a great windstorm arose, and the waves were beating against the boat, so that §it was nearly swamped. 38 But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do yoʋ not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” So the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you *so afraid? †How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
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