13:1 THAT SAME day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting beside the sea. |
13:2 But such great crowds gathered about Him that He got into a boat and remained sitting there, while all the throng stood on the shore. |
13:3 And He told them many things in parables (stories by way of illustration and comparison), saying, A sower went out to sow. |
13:4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and ate them up. |
13:5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil; and at once they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. |
13:6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up {and} withered away. |
13:7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. |
13:8 Other seeds fell on good soil, and yielded grain--some a hundred times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some thirty. |
13:9 He who has ears [to hear], let him be listening {and} let him consider {and} perceive {and} comprehend by hearing. |
13:10 Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables? |
13:11 And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets {and} mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. |
13:12 For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given {and} he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. |
13:13 This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp {and} understand. |
13:14 In them indeed is the process of fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: You shall indeed hear {and} hear but never grasp {and} understand; and you shall indeed look {and} look but never see {and} perceive. |
13:15 For this nation's heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy {and} difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see {and} perceive with their eyes, and hear {and} comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp {and} understand with their heart, and turn {and} I should heal them. |
13:16 But blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. |
13:17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men [men who were upright and in right standing with God] yearned to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. |
13:18 Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower: |
13:19 While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp {and} comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside. |
13:20 As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes {and} accepts it with joy; |
13:21 Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction {or} trouble {or} persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] {and} he falls away. |
13:22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure {and} delight {and} glamour {and} deceitfulness of riches choke {and} suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit. |
13:23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps {and} comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty. |
13:24 Another parable He set forth before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. |
13:25 But while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed also darnel (weeds resembling wheat) among the wheat, and went on his way. |
13:26 So when the plants sprouted and formed grain, the darnel (weeds) appeared also. |
13:27 And the servants of the owner came to him and said, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how does it have darnel shoots in it? |
13:28 He replied to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and weed them out? |
13:29 But he said, No, lest in gathering the wild wheat (weeds resembling wheat), you root up the [true] wheat along with it. |
13:30 Let them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather the darnel first and bind it in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my granary. |
13:31 Another story by way of comparison He set forth before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. |
13:32 Of all the seeds it is the smallest, but when it has grown it is the largest of the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and find shelter in its branches. |
13:33 He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven (sour dough) which a woman took and covered over in three measures of meal {or} flour till all of it was leavened. |
13:34 These things all taken together Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, without a parable He said nothing to them. |
13:35 This was in fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet: I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things that have been hidden since the foundation of the world. |
13:36 Then He left the throngs and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him saying, Explain to us the parable of the darnel in the field. |
13:37 He answered, He Who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. |
13:38 The field is the world, and the good seed means the children of the kingdom; the darnel is the children of the evil one, |
13:39 And the enemy who sowed it is the devil. The harvest is the close {and} consummation of the age, and the reapers are angels. |
13:40 Just as the darnel (weeds resembling wheat) is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age. |
13:41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense [persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin] and all who do iniquity {and} act wickedly, |
13:42 And will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping {and} wailing and grinding of teeth. |
13:43 Then will the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God) shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears [to hear] be listening, {and} let him consider {and} perceive {and} understand by hearing. |
13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field. |
13:45 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine {and} precious pearls, |
13:46 Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it. |
13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet which was cast into the sea and gathered in fish of every sort. |
13:48 When it was full, men dragged it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted out the good fish into baskets, but the worthless ones they threw away. |
13:49 So it will be at the close {and} consummation of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the wicked from the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God) |
13:50 And cast them [the wicked] into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping {and} wailing and grinding of teeth. |
13:51 Have you understood all these things [parables] taken together? They said to Him, Yes, {Lord.} |
13:52 He said to them, Therefore every teacher {and} interpreter of the Sacred Writings who has been instructed about {and} trained for the kingdom of heaven and has become a disciple is like a householder who brings forth out of his storehouse treasure that is new and [treasure that is] old [the fresh as well as the familiar]. |
13:53 When Jesus had finished these parables (these comparisons), He left there. |
13:54 And coming to His own country [Nazareth], He taught in their synagogue so that they were amazed with bewildered wonder, and said, Where did this Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? |
13:55 Is not this the carpenter's Son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? |
13:56 And do not all His sisters live here among us? Where then did this Man get all this? |
13:57 And they took offense at Him [they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging His authority, and caused to stumble]. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. |
13:58 And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in the divine mission of Jesus). |