Mark 4
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New International VersionNew American Standard Bible 1995
1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge.1He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.
2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:2And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,
3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.3"Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;
4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.4as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.5"Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.6"And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.7"Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times."8"Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
9Then Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."9And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.10As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables11And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,
12so that, "'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"12so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN."
13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?13And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
14The farmer sows the word.14"The sower sows the word.
15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.15"These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.16"In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.17and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;18"And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.19but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown."20"And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
21He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand?21And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.22"For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
23If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear."23"If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
24"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more.24And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."25"For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."
26He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.26And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;
27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.27and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows-- how, he himself does not know.
28All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.28"The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.
29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."29"But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?30And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?
31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.31"It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,
32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade."32yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE."
33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.33With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it;
34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.34and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.
35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."35On that day, when evening came, He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side."
36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.36Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.
37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.37And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.
38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"38Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.39And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.
40He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"40And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"41They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
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Mark 3
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