Mark 4
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1Then Jesus began to teach again beside the sea. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while the entire crowd remained beside the sea on the shore. 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.
2He began teaching them many things in parables. While he was teaching them he said, 2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:
3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow. 3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5Others fell on stony ground, where they didn't have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once, because the soil wasn't deep. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they didn't have any roots, they dried up. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes came up and choked them out, and they didn't produce anything. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.
8But others fell on good soil and produced a crop. They grew up, increased in size, and produced 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown."8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times."
9He added, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!"9Then Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."
10When he was alone with the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the parables. 10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11He told them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in 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 parables
12so that 'they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not understand, otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven.'" 12so that, "'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"
13Then he told them, "You don't understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables? 13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
14The farmer sows the word. 14The farmer sows the word.
15Some people are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 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.
16Others are like the seeds sown on the stony ground. When they hear the word, at once they joyfully accept it, 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17but since they don't have any roots, they last for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall away. 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.
18Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the people who hear the word, 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
19but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can't produce a crop. 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.
20Others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—30, 60, or 100 times what was sown." 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."
21Then Jesus told them, "A lamp isn't brought indoors to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? It's to be put on a lamp stand, isn't it? 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?
22Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is secret except for the purpose of having it come to light. 22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
23If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!23If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear."
24He went on to say to them, "Pay attention to what you're hearing! You will be evaluated by the same standard with which you do your evaluating, and still more will be given to you, 24"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more.
25because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away."25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."
26He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. 26He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
27He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
28the ground produces grain by itself—first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 28All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
29But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come."29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."
30He was also saying, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? 30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
31It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it's the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.
32when it's planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade."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."
33With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. 33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.
34He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
35That day, when evening had come, he told them, "Let's cross to the other side." 35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."
36So they left the crowd and took him away in a boat without making any special preparations. Other boats were with him. 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
37A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so that the boat was rapidly becoming swamped.37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
38But Jesus was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and asked him, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?"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?"
39Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and told the sea, "Calm down! Be still!" Then the wind stopped blowing, and there was a great calm. 39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40He asked them, "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith yet?"40He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41Overcome with fear, they kept saying to one another, "Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"41They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
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Mark 3
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