¹ Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea, and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.

² Then he taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,

³ "Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,

⁴ and it happened, as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds¹ came and devoured it.

1. NU M P Vg. TR adds "of the air"

⁵ Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.

⁶ But when the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

⁷ Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

⁸ Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some brought forth thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much."

⁹ He said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."

¹⁰ When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

¹¹ And he said to them, "To you has been given¹ the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,

1. M TR add "to know"

¹² that 'seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should return and be forgiven¹.'"²

1. M TR read "and their sins be forgiven them" instead of "be forgiven"
2. Isaiah 6:9-10

¹³ And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?

¹⁴ The farmer sows the word.

¹⁵ The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them¹.

1. M TR read "in their hearts" instead of "in them"

¹⁶ These¹ are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.

1. M TR add "in like manner"

¹⁷ They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.

¹⁸ And others¹ are those who are sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

1. M TR read "These" instead of "And others"

¹⁹ but the cares of the¹ age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

1. M TR read "this" instead of "the"

²⁰ But those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times."

²¹ And he said to them, "Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket¹ or under a bed? Is not it put on a stand?

1. literally, a modion, a dry measuring basket containing about a peck (about 9 litres)

²² For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.

²³ If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."

²⁴ And he said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you¹.

1. M TR add "who hear"

²⁵ For whoever has, more will be given, and he who does not have, even that which he has will be taken away from him."

²⁶ And he said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,

²⁷ and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he does not know how.

²⁸ For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

²⁹ But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come."

³⁰ And he said, "To what will we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable will we use for it?

³¹ It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,

³² yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow."

³³ With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

³⁴ Without a parable he did not speak to them; but privately to his own¹ disciples he explained everything.

1. M TR omit "own"

³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go over to the other side."

³⁶ Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other¹ boats were also with him.

1. M TR add "small"

³⁷ A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat¹ was already filled.

1. M TR read "it" instead of "the boat"

³⁸ He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are dying?"

³⁹ And he awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.¹

1. Psalm 65:7; 89:9; 107:29

⁴⁰ And he said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Do¹ you still have no faith?"

1. M TR read "How" instead of "Do"

⁴¹ And they were greatly afraid, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"