Mark 4:1-27 ▼

1 And again He began to teach by the seaside. And there is gathered to Him a very great multitude, so that He, having entered into a boat, was sitting in the sea; and all the multitude were by the sea on the land.

2 And He taught them many things in parables, and said to them in His teaching,

3 "Hearken! behold the sower went forth to sow.

4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 And other fell on the rocky ground where it had not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because of not having depth of earth;

6 and, when the sun rose, it was scorched; and, because it had no root, it was dried up.

7 And other fell among the thorns; and the thorns sprang up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8 And others fell into the good ground, and were yielding fruit, springing up and growing; and bore, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold."

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

10 And, when He was alone, those who were about Him with the twelve asked Him as to the parables.

11 And He said to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but to those without all things are done in parables;

12 that, seeing, they may see, and not perceive; and, hearing, they may hear, and not understand; lest haply they should turn, and be forgiven."

13 And He saith to them, "Know ye not this parable? And how will ye know all the parables?

14 The sower sows the word.

15 And these are those by the wayside, where the word is sown; and, when they hear, straightway Satan comes, and catches away the word which has been sown in them.

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

17 and they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, straightway they stumble.

18 And others are those sown among the thorns. These are those who heard the word,

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

20 And these are the ones sown on the good ground: such as hear the word, and receive it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold."

21 And He said to them, "Is the lamp brought to be put under the measure, or under the bed! Is it not, that it may be put on the lampstand?

22 For there is nothing hid, except that it should be manifested; nor was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.

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

24 And He said to them, "Take heed what ye hear. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you; and more will be added.

25 For he that has, to him shall be given; and he that has not, from him shall be taken away even what he has."

26 And He said, "So is the Kingdom of God, as if a man should cast the seed upon the earth;

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