1 On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.
2 Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and
sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach. 3 He spoke to them many
things in parables, saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow. 4 As he
sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.
5 Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil, and
immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. 6 When the
sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered
away. 7 Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them:
8 and others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times
as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him
hear.”
10 The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in
parables?”
11 He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the
Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. 12 For whoever has, to him
will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn’t have, from him
will be taken away even that which he has. 13 Therefore I speak to them in
parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear,
neither do they understand. 14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is
fulfilled, which says,
‘By hearing you will hear,
and will in no way understand;
Seeing you will see,
and will in no way perceive:
15 for this people’s heart has grown callous,
their ears are dull of hearing,
they have closed their eyes;
or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and should turn again;
and I would heal them.’*1
16 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
17 For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men
desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to
hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.
18 “Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. 19 When anyone hears
the word of the Kingdom, and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes, and
snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by
the roadside. 20 What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears
the word, and immediately with joy receives it; 21 yet he has no root in
himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises
because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 What was sown among the
thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the
deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 What
was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands
it, who most certainly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times
as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”
24 He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while people slept,
his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds*2 also among the
wheat, and went away. 26 But when the blade sprang up and brought forth
fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also. 27 The servants of the
householder
came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did
this darnel come from?’
28 “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’
29 “But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel
weeds,
you root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the
harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up
the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat
into my barn.”’”
31 He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;
32 which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is 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 He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like
yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures*3
of meal, until it was all leavened.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without
a parable, he didn’t speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken through the prophet, saying,
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”*4
36 Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His
disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds
of the field.”
37 He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,
38 the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of
the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. 39 The
enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the
reapers are angels. 40 As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and
burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man
will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things
that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, 42 and will cast them into
the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
43 Then
the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
44 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the
field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he
has, and buys that field.
45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant
seeking fine pearls, 46 who having found one pearl of great price, he went
and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into
the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, 48 which, when it was
filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into
containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So will it be in the end of
the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the
righteous, 50 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be
the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” 51 Jesus said to them,
“Have you understood all these things?”
They answered him, “Yes, Lord.”
52 He said to them, “Therefore, every scribe who has been made a
disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who
brings out of his treasure new and old things.”
53 It happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed
from there. 54 Coming into his own country, he taught them in their
synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get
this wisdom, and these mighty works? 55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?
Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and
Judas*5 ? 56 Aren’t all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get
all of these things?” 57 They were offended by him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his
own country, and in his own house.” 58 He didn’t do many mighty works
there because of their unbelief.
1 Isaiah 6:9-10
2 darnel is a weed grass (probably
bearded darnel or lolium temulentum) that looks very much like wheat until it
is mature, when the difference becomes very apparent.
3 literally,
three sata. 3 sata is about 39 litres or a bit more than a bushel
4 Psalm 78:2
5 or, Jude
|
|
|
