Mark 4:1-19 ▼

1 And again He began to teach by the sea, and there was gathered to Him a great multitude, so that He, having gone into the boat, sat in the sea, and all the multitude was near the sea, on the land,

2 and He taught them many things in allegories, and He said to them in His teaching:

3 “Listen, behold, the sower went forth to sow;

4 and it came to pass, in the sowing, some fell by the way, and the birds of the sky came and devoured it;

5 and other fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang forth, because of having no depth of earth,

6 and the sun having risen, it was scorched, and because of having no root it withered;

7 and other fell toward the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it gave no fruit;

8 and other fell to the good ground, and was giving fruit, coming up and increasing, and it was bearing, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one a hundred.”

9 And He said to them, “He who is having ears to hear—let him hear.”

10 And when He was alone, those around Him, with the Twelve, asked Him of the allegory,

11 and He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the secret of the Kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, in allegories are all the things done,

12 that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they may turn, and the sins may be forgiven them.”

13 And He says to them, “Have you not known this allegory? And how will you know all the allegories?

14 He who is sowing sows the word;

15 and these are they by the way where the word is sown: and whenever they may hear, Satan immediately comes, and he takes away the word that has been sown in their hearts.

16 And these are they, in like manner, who are sown on the rocky ground: who, whenever they may hear the word, immediately receive it with joy,

17 and have no root in themselves, but are temporary; afterward tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.

18 And these are they who are sown toward the thorns: these are they who are hearing the word,

19 and the anxieties of this age, and the deceitfulness of the riches, and the desires concerning the other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.