Mark 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Mark 4 ▼
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1 Then 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. 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 began teaching them many things in parables. 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 out to sow. “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. 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 Others fell on stony ground, where they didn't have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once, 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 But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they didn't have any roots, they dried up. 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 Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes came up and choked them out, 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 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.| 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 to hear, 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 the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the parables. 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 He told them, |The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables 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 so that 'they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not understand, otherwise they might turn around and be 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 Then he told them, |You don't understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables? 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 sows the word. The sower sows the word. The farmer sows the word.
15 Some 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. 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 Others are like the seeds sown on the stony ground. When they hear the word, at once they joyfully accept it, 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 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. 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 Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the people who 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 wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can't produce a crop. 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 the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—30, 60, or 100 times what was sown.| 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 Then 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? 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 Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is secret except for the purpose of having it 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 If anyone has ears to hear, let him 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 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, 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 because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.| 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 He was also saying, |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 and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he 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 stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 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 But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the 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 He was also saying, |How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe 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. Although it's the smallest of all the 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 when 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.| 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 With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. 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 tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private. 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 day, when evening had come, he told them, |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 So they left the crowd and took him away in a boat without making any special preparations. 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, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so that the boat was rapidly becoming swamped. 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 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?| 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, rebuked the wind, and told the sea, |Calm down! Be still!| Then the wind stopped blowing, and there was a great 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 Overcome with fear, they kept saying to one another, |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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