Mark 4:1-17 ▼

1 And again He began to teach beside the sea, and a very great crowd gathered together to Him, so that He, having entered into a boat, sat down in the sea, and all the crowd was close to the sea, on the land.

2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and He was saying to them in His teaching,

3 “Listen! Behold, the one sowing went out to sow.

4 And it came to pass in the sowing that some indeed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 And other fell upon the rocky place, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up because of it not having depth of soil.

6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because of having no root, it withered.

7 And other fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it gave no fruit.

8 And others fell into the good soil, and it was giving fruit, coming up and increasing, and one bearing thirtyfold, and one sixty, and one a hundred.”

9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 And when He was alone, those around Him with the Twelve were asking Him about the parables.

11 And He was saying to them, “To you? has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, everything is done in parables,

12 so that: ‘Seeing they might see and not perceive, and hearing they might hear and not understand, lest ever they might return, and they might be forgiven.’””

13 And He says to them, “Do you? not know this parable? And how will you? know all the parables?

14 The one sowing sows the word.

15 Now these are the ones along the path where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.

16 And these are likewise those sown upon the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.

17 And they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Then, on tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are caused to stumble.