Top of Page
Page Style
same day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting beside the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.
3 Then He told them many things in parables, saying: “Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much soil, and they immediately sprang up, because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop—some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
10 The disciples came and asked Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but it has not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear,
nor do they understand.
14 Indeed, in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘You will be ever hearing, but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them’.
16 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
18 “Listen then to the meaning of the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that was sown along the path. 20 As for the seed that fell on rocky ground, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 Yet he has no root in himself, and he lasts only for a short time. When tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 Now the one who received the seeds that fell among thorns is the man who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields—some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.”
24 Jesus presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 ‘An enemy has done this’, he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us then to go and pull them up?’
29 “But he said, ‘No’, he answered, ‘because when you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then at the time of the harvest I will tell the reapers: “Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn” ’.”
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when it has grown, it is the largest of the garden shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until it was all leavened.”
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; He did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open My mouth and speak in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world”.
36 Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
37 He answered, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where 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 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again. Then in his joy he went off and sold all that he had and bought the field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, they drew it to shore, sat down, and sorted the good into baskets but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
“Yes,” they replied.
52 He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He moved on from there.
54 When He came to His hometown, He began teaching the people in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these miraculous works? 55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother called Mary, and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, aren’t they all with us? Where did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offence at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own hometown and in his own household.”
58 And He did not do many miraculous works there because of their unbelief.