Mark 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Mark 4 ▼
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1 Jesus began to teach again by the Sea of Galilee. A very large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was in the water while the entire crowd lined the shore. Again 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. Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.
2 He used stories as illustrations to teach them many things. While he was teaching them, he said, And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:
3 |Listen! A farmer went to plant seed. “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there wasn't much soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn't deep. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6 When the sun came up, they were scorched. They didn't have any roots, so they withered. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seeds were planted among thornbushes. The thornbushes grew up and choked them, and they didn't produce anything. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.
8 But other seeds were planted on good ground, sprouted, and produced thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted.| And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9 He added, |Let the person who has ears listen!| And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10 When he was alone with his followers and the twelve apostles, they asked him about the stories. And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11 Jesus replied to them, |The mystery about the kingdom of God has been given [directly] to you. To those on the outside, it is given in stories: And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
12 'They see clearly but don't perceive. They hear clearly but don't understand. They never return to me and are never forgiven.'| so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’” so that, “’they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
13 Jesus asked them, |Don't you understand this story? How, then, will you understand any of the stories I use as illustrations? And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
14 |The farmer plants the word. The sower sows the word. The farmer sows the word.
15 Some people are like seeds that were planted along the road. Whenever they hear the word, Satan comes at once and takes away the word that was planted in them. And 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. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
16 Other people are like seeds that were planted on rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they accept it at once with joy. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17 But they don't develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall [from faith]. And 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. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18 Other people are like seeds planted among thornbushes. They hear the word, And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
19 but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can't produce anything. but 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. but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
20 Others are like seeds planted on good ground. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops-thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted.| But 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.” Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
21 Jesus said to them, |Does anyone bring a lamp into a room to put it under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it put on a lamp stand? And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?
22 There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light. For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
23 Let the person who has ears listen!| If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 He went on to say, |Pay attention to what you're listening to! [Knowledge] will be measured out to you by the measure [of attention] you give. This is the way knowledge increases. And 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. “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.
25 Those who understand [these mysteries] will be given [more knowledge]. However, some people don't understand [these mysteries]. Even what they understand will be taken away from them.| For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
26 Jesus said, |The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
27 He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn't know how. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
28 The ground produces grain by itself. First the green blade appears, then the head, then the head full of grain. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
29 As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it with a sickle, because harvest time has come.| But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
30 Jesus asked, |How can we show what the kingdom of God is like? To what can we compare it? And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
31 It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.
32 However, when planted, it comes up and becomes taller than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that birds can nest in its shade.| yet 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.” Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 Jesus spoke [God's] word to them using many illustrations like these. In this way people could understand what he taught. With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.
34 He did not speak to them without using an illustration. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
35 That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, |Let's cross to the other side.| On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
36 Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus along in a boat just as he was. Other boats were with him. And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
37 A violent windstorm came up. The waves were breaking into the boat so that it was quickly filling up. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
38 But he was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat. So they woke him up and said to him, |Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?| But 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?” Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 Then he got up, ordered the wind to stop, and said to the sea, |Be still, absolutely still!| The wind stopped blowing, and the sea became very calm. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He asked them, |Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith yet?| He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were overcome with fear and asked each other, |Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!| 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?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
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