4:1 Again 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.
4:2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:
4:3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4:4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
4:5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
4:6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
4:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.
4:8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”
4:9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
4:10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
4:11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
4:12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
4:13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
4:14 The farmer sows the word.
4:15 Some 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.
4:16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
4:17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
4:18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
4:19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
4:20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop–thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”
4:21 He 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?
4:22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
4:24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you–and even more.
4:25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
4:26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
4:27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
4:28 All by itself the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
4:29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
4:30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
4:31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.
4:32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”
4:33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.
4:34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
4:35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
4:36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
4:37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
4:38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
4:40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
4:41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
4:1 And again He began to teach beside the sea, and a very great crowd was gathered unto Him, so that He stepped into a boat in the sea and sat down, and all the crowd was on the land, facing the sea.
4:2 And He taught them many things in parables and said to them in His teaching:
4:3 Listen! Behold, the sower went out to sow.
4:4 And as he sowed, some seed fell beside the way, and the birds came and devoured it.
4:5 And other seed fell on the rocky place, where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.
4:6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered.
4:7 And other seed fell into the thorns, and the thorns came up and utterly choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
4:8 And others fell into the good earth and yielded fruit, coming up and growing; and one bore thirtyfold, and one sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold.
4:9 And He said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
4:10 And when He was alone, those around Him, with the twelve, asked Him about the parables.
4:11 And He said to them, To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those outside, all things are in parables,
4:12 In order that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.
4:13 And He said to them, Do you not know this parable? And how will you know all the parables?
4:14 The sower sows the word.
4:15 And these are the ones beside the way, where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown into them.
4:16 And likewise, these are the ones being sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
4:17 Yet they have no root in themselves, but last only for a time; then when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.
4:18 And others are the ones being sown into the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
4:19 And the anxieties of the age and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts for other things enter in and utterly choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
4:20 And these are the ones sown on the good earth: those who hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirtyfold, and one sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold.
4:21 And He said to them, Does the lamp come so that it may be placed under the bushel or under the bed? Does it not come that it may be placed on the lampstand?
4:22 For nothing is hidden except that it may be manifested, nor has anything become concealed but that it may come into the open.
4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
4:24 And He said to them, Take heed what you hear. With what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you, and it shall be added to you.
4:25 For he who has, it shall be given to him; and he who does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
4:26 And He said, So is the kingdom of God: as if a man cast seed on the earth,
4:27 And sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and lengthens ? how, he does not know.
4:28 The earth bears fruit by itself: first a blade, then an ear, then full grain in the ear.
4:29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he sends forth the sickle, because the harvest has come.
4:30 And He said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God, or in what parable shall we present it?
4:31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the earth, is smaller than all the seeds on the earth.
4:32 And when it is sown, it comes up and becomes greater than all the herbs and produces great branches, so that the birds of heaven can roost under its shade.
4:33 And in many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear;
4:34 And without a parable He did not speak to them; but privately to His own disciples He explained all things.
4:35 And He said to them on that day when evening had fallen, Let us go over to the other side.
4:36 And leaving the crowd, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him.
4:37 And there arose a great windstorm, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already beginning to fill up.
4:38 And He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, Teacher, does it not matter to You that we are perishing?
4:39 And having awoken, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Be silent! Be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
4:40 And He said to them, Why are you cowardly in this way? How is it that you do not have faith?
4:41 And they became greatly frightened and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?