1That same day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.
2And such great crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat, and sat in it; and all the people stood on the shore.
3And He told them many things in the form of parables, such as: “Behold, a farmer went out to sow (plant seeds);
4And when he scattered the seed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them;
5Some fell upon stony places, where there wasn’t much soil; and they promptly sprung up, but because they had no depth of soil;
6When the sun rose, they withered away because they lacked root.
7And others fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked the plants;
8But some seed fell upon good ground, and yielded a crop - some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.
9Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10And the disciples came, and asked to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11He replied, “Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12For to those who have, more shall be given, and he shall have greater abundance; but whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even what he has.
13That is why I speak to them in parables, that though they see, they perceive not; and hearing, they do not understand.
14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah (Is.6:9), which says, ‘By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and see but not perceive’;
15For this people's heart has become calloused, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at some time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and allow Me to heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
17For truly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see these things that you see, and have not seen them; and to hear these things which you hear, and have not heard them.
18Hear, therefore, the meaning of parable of the seed planter (sower):
19‘When anyone hears the word (gospel message) about the kingdom (of God), and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes, and snatches away that which had been sown (planted) in his heart. This is the one who received seed sown along the path.
20The seed sown on stony places refers to someone that hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy;
21 But since he has no root in himself, it only lasts for a little while; and when trouble or persecution comes due to his belief in the word, he is easily and quickly discouraged.
22The seed among the thorns refers to the one that hears the word; but the cares of this world, and the desire for wealth or prestige, chokes the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23But seed sown on the good ground is he that hears and understands the word - it produces much fruit - some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
24And then He put forth another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good wheat seed in his field;
25But, while he and his men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares (weeds) among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the wheat had sprung up, and produced grain, then appeared the tares (weeds) also.
27So his servants asked him, ‘Sir, did you not plant good seed in your field? Where did all these weeds come from?’
28He replied, ‘An enemy has done this.’ Then the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull out the weeds?’
29‘No’, he replied, because when you uproot the tares (weeds), you disturb the tender roots of the wheat.
30Let them both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest, I will tell those doing the harvesting, “First gather together the tares (weeds), and bind them in bundles to be burned; but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’
31And yet another parable He put forth to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and planted in his field;
32While it is the smallest of all seeds; yet when it has grown, it is the largest among herbs, and grows like a tree, so that the birds come and nest in its branches.”
33Another parable He told them: “The kingdom of heaven is a little like leaven (yeast), which a woman took, and even though she put only a small amount in three measures of meal, it worked through (permeated) the dough until the whole batch was leavened.”
34All these things Jesus said to the crowd in parables; and said nothing without using a parable;
35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world”(Ps.78:2).
36Then Jesus sent the crowd of people away, and went into the house; and His disciples came to Him, and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field”.
37He answered, “He that sows the good seed is the Son of man;
38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares (weeds) are the sons of the wicked one;
39The enemy that sowed them is the devil (Satan); the harvest is the end of the age (world); and the harvesters are the angels.
40Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this age (end times).
41The Son of man shall send out His angels, and they shall weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin, and all those who do evil,
42And the angels shall cast them into a blazing furnace; where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43Then the righteous shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let him hear.
44Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field; which, when a man has found it, he hides it again, and in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant man, seeking fine pearls;
46Who, when he had found one pearl of great value, sold all that he had, and bought it.
47And once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, that was cast into the sea, and caught all kinds of fish,
48And when it was full, they pulled it to shore. Then they sat down, and collected the good fish into vessels, but threw the bad ones away.
49So shall it be at the end of the age: the angels shall come, and separate the wicked from among the righteous,
50And shall throw the evil into the fiery furnace; where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
51Jesus asked them, “Have you understood all these things?” They replied to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe (teacher of the law) who is informed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner, who brings out of his treasured things (gems of truth) both new and old.”
53And when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there.
54And when He had come into His Own country (hometown), He began teaching them in their synagogue, and they were astonished, and scoffingly asked, “Where has this Man gained this wisdom, and these miraculous powers?
55Is He not the carpenter's son? Is His mother not called Mary? And His brothers, James, Joses (Joseph), Simon, and Judas?
56And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”
57And they took offence at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own home.”
58And He did not do many miracles there because of their disbelief (lack of faith). Easy Reader Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2023 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |
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