Mark 4:1-19 ▼

1 And He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very great multitude gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,

3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;

4 and it came about that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

5 “And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.

6 “And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 “And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8 “And other seeds fell into the good soil and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.

11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables,

12 in order that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE; AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND LEST THEY RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN.”

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?

14 “The sower sows the word.

15 “And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

16 “And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;

17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

18 “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

19 and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.