The Parable of the Sower

1. On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.
2. And great crowds were gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat, and all the crowd was standing on the shore.
3. And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, the sower went out to sow.
4. And as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
5. And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they had no deep soil.
6. And when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away.
7. And others fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them.
8. And others fell on good soil and yielded fruit: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Purpose of Parables

10. And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11. And He answered them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
13. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘You will indeed hear, but never understand; and you will indeed see, but never perceive.
15. For the heart of this people has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I should heal them.’
16. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
17. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower

18. Hear then the parable of the sower:
19. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the path.
20. And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
21. yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a time. And when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
22. And the one on whom seed was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23. And the one on whom seed was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears and understands the word, who indeed bears fruit and yields, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Other Parables of the Kingdom

24. Another parable He put forth to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
26. But when the wheat sprouted and bore fruit, then the weeds also appeared.
27. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’
28. And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ And the servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them?’
29. But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather the weeds, you uproot the wheat along with them.
30. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven

31. Another parable He put forth to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.
32. It indeed is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”
33. Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

The Purpose of the Parables Reiterated

34. All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable,
35. so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.’

The Explanation of the Parables to the Disciples

36. Then Jesus sent the crowds away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37. He answered and said, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38. The field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the weeds are the children of the evil one.
39. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40. Therefore, as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
41. The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness,
42. and they will throw them into the furnace of fire. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43. Then the righteous shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl, and the Net

44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
46. who, when he found one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, which was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind,
48. which, when it was full, they drew to shore and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.
49. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels shall come forth and separate the evil from the righteous,
50. and they shall throw the evil into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus’ Teaching in His Hometown

51. Have you understood all these things? They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52. Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
53. And when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there.
54. And He came into His own country and taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
55. Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56. And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
57. And they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house.”
58. And He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.