1 And again he began to teach by the seaside. And there is gathered to him a very great multitude, so that he entered into a boat, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude were by the sea on the land.
2 And he taught them many things in parables, and said to them in his teaching,
3 Listen: Look, the sower went forth to sow:
4 and it came to pass, as he sowed, some [seed] fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it.
5 And other [seed] fell on the rocky [ground], where it did not have much earth; and right away it sprang up, because it had no deepness of earth:
6 and when 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 grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing; and brought forth, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.
9 And he said, Who has ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked of him the parables.
11 And he said to them, To you{+} is given the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables:
12 that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and it should be forgiven them.
13 And he says to them, Do you{+} not know this parable? And how will you{+} know all the parables?
14 The sower sows the word.
15 And these are those by the wayside, where the word is sown; and when they have heard, right away Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16 And these are those who are sown on the rocky [places], who, when they have heard the word, right away receive it with joy;
17 and they have no root in themselves, but endure for awhile; then, when tribulation or persecution rises because of the word, right away they stumble.
18 And others are those who are sown among the thorns; these are those who have heard the word,
19 and the cares of the age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 And those are the ones who were sown on the good ground; such as hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.
21 And he said to them, Is the lamp brought to be put under the bushel, or under the bed, [and] not to be put on the lampstand?
22 For there is nothing hid, except that it should be manifested; neither was [anything] made secret, but that it should come to light.
23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.
24 And he said to them, Take heed what you{+} hear: with what measure you{+} mete it will be measured to you{+}; and more will be given to you{+}.
25 For he who has, to him will be given: and he who has not, from him will be taken away even that which he has.
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed on the earth;
27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn't know how.
28 The earth bears fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is [ready to] deliver, right away he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come.
30 And he said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or in what parable shall we set it forth?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
32 yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches; so that the birds of the heaven can lodge under its shadow.
33 And with many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;
34 and without a parable he did not speak to them: but privately to his own disciples he expounded all things.
35 And on that day, when evening came, he says to them, Let us go over to the other side.
36 And leaving the multitude, they take him with them, even as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him.
37 And there rises a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, insomuch that the boat was now filling.
38 And he himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion: and they wake him, and say to him, Teacher, don't you care that we perish?
39 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.
40 And he said to them, Why are you{+} fearful? Have you{+} not yet faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?