International Standard Version

English Standard Version

1Then Jesus began to teach again beside the sea. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while the entire crowd remained beside the sea on the shore.

1Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.

2He began teaching them many things in parables. While he was teaching them he said,

2And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:

3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow.

3“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

4As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up.

4And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

5Others fell on stony ground, where they didn't have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once, because the soil wasn't deep.

5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.

6But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they didn't have any roots, they dried up.

6And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.

7Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes came up and choked them out, and they didn't produce anything.

7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

8But others fell on good soil and produced a crop. They grew up, increased in size, and produced 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown."

8And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

9He added, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!"

9And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10When he was alone with the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the parables.

10And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

11He told them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables

11And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,

12so that 'they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not understand, otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven.'"

12so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”

13Then he told them, "You don't understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables?

13And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

14The farmer sows the word.

14The sower sows the word.

15Some people are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

15And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

16Others are like the seeds sown on the stony ground. When they hear the word, at once they joyfully accept it,

16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.

17but since they don't have any roots, they last for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall away.

17And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

18Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the people who hear the word,

18And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,

19but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can't produce a crop.

19but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

20Others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—30, 60, or 100 times what was sown."

20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

21Then Jesus told them, "A lamp isn't brought indoors to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? It's to be put on a lamp stand, isn't it?

21And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?

22Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is secret except for the purpose of having it come to light.

22For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.

23If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!

23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24He went on to say to them, "Pay attention to what you're hearing! You will be evaluated by the same standard with which you do your evaluating, and still more will be given to you,

24And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.

25because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away."

25For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

26He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground.

26And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.

27He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how

27He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.

28the ground produces grain by itself—first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.

28The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

29But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come."

29But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30He was also saying, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it?

30And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?

31It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it's the smallest of all the seeds on earth,

31It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,

32when it's planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade."

32yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand.

33With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

34He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.

34He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

35That day, when evening had come, he told them, "Let's cross to the other side."

35On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”

36So they left the crowd and took him away in a boat without making any special preparations. Other boats were with him.

36And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.

37A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so that the boat was rapidly becoming swamped.

37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.

38But Jesus was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and asked him, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?"

38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

39Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and told the sea, "Calm down! Be still!" Then the wind stopped blowing, and there was a great calm.

39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40He asked them, "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith yet?"

40He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

41Overcome with fear, they kept saying to one another, "Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"

41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.