Mark 4:1-34 ▼

1 And again He began to teach beside the sea, and a very great crowd gathered together to Him, so that He, having entered into a boat, sat down in the sea, and all the crowd was close to the sea, on the land.

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

3 “Listen! Behold, the one sowing went out to sow.

4 And it came to pass in the sowing that some indeed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 And other fell upon the rocky place, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up because of it not having depth of soil.

6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because of having no root, it withered.

7 And other fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it gave no fruit.

8 And others fell into the good soil, and it was giving fruit, coming up and increasing, and one bearing thirtyfold, and one sixty, and one a hundred.”

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

10 And when He was alone, those around Him with the Twelve were 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 to those who are outside, everything is done in parables,

12 so that: ‘Seeing they might see and not perceive, and hearing they might hear and not understand, lest ever they might return, and they might be forgiven.’””

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

14 The one sowing sows the word.

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

16 And these are likewise those sown upon the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.

17 And they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Then, on tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are caused to stumble.

18 And others are the ones sown among the thorns. These are the ones having heard the word,

19 and the anxieties of the age, and the deceit of riches, and the desires concerning the other things, entering, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 And those are the ones having been sown upon the good soil, such as hear the word and receive it and bear fruit: one thirtyfold, and one sixty, and one a hundred.”

21 And He was saying to them, “Does the lamp come so that it might be put under the basket or under the bed? Is it not so that it might be put upon the lampstand?

22 For there is nothing that is hidden except so that it should be made manifest; nor was anything hidden away but so that it should come to be manifest.

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

24 And He was saying to them, “Look at what you? hear. In what measure you? measure, it will be measured to you?, and it will be added to you?.

25 For whoever has, it will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

26 And He was saying, “Thus is The kingdom of God: as a man may cast the seed upon the earth,

27 and may sleep and rise night and day, and the seed may sprout and grow—he does not know how.

28 Of itself, the earth bears fruit—first a plant, then an ear, then full grain in the ear.

29 And when the fruit may offer itself, immediately he sends the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30 And He was saying, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or in what parable shall we put it?

31 It is like a grain of mustard, which, when it may be sown upon the earth, is smallest of all the seeds that are upon the earth.

32 And when it may be sown, it comes up and becomes greater than all the garden plants and makes great branches, so that under its shadow the birds of the sky are able to lodge.”

33 And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear.

34 And without a parable He was not speaking to them; but in private to His own disciples He was explaining all things.