The Parable of the Sower

1On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2And [†]large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

3And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And others fell [†]among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8And others fell on the good soil and were yielding [†]a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9He who has ears, [†]let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11And [†]Jesus answered and said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘[†]YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, [†]BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND;

[†]YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

15FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,

AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR,

AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES,

LEST THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES,

HEAR WITH THEIR EARS,

AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN,

AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

16But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he [†]falls away. 22And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the [†]world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

The Parable of Tares Among Wheat

24He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven [†]may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [†]tares among the wheat, and went away. 26But when the [†]wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? [†]How then does it have tares?’ 28And he said to them, ‘An [†]enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven

31He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32and this is the [†]smallest of all seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is the [†]largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE [†]AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”

33He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in [†]three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”

34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He was not speaking to them without a parable 35so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,

“I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES;

I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”

The Parable of Tares Explained

36Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the [†]tares of the field.” 37And He answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the [†]end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the [†]end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom [†]all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, [†]let him hear.

A Hidden Treasure

44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

A Costly Pearl

45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

A Dragnet

47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49So it will be at the [†]end of the age; the angels will come forth and [†]take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” 52And He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

53[†]Now it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54And He came to [†]His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these [†]miraculous powers? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they were taking offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his [†]hometown and in his own household.” 58And He did not do many [†]miracles there because of their unbelief.