1 A gain Jesus began to teach beside the lake. And a very great crowd gathered about Him, so that He got into a ship in order to sit in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was at the lakeside on the shore.

And again he began to teach by the sea, and there was gathered unto 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 A nd He taught them many things in parables (illustrations or comparisons put beside truths to explain them), and in His teaching He said to them:

and he taught them many things in similes, and he said to them in his teaching:

3 G ive attention to this! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

`Hearken, lo, the sower went forth to sow;

4 A nd as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

and it came to pass, in the sowing, some fell by the way, and the fowls of the heaven did come and devour it;

5 O ther seed fell on ground full of rocks, where it had not much soil; and at once it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil;

and other fell upon the rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang forth, because of not having depth of earth,

6 A nd when the sun came up, it was scorched, and because it had not taken root, it withered away.

and the sun having risen, it was scorched, and because of not having root it did wither;

7 O ther seed fell among thorn plants, and the thistles grew and pressed together and utterly choked and suffocated it, and it yielded no grain.

and other fell toward the thorns, and the thorns did come up, and choke it, and fruit it gave not;

8 A nd other seed fell into good (well-adapted) soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing, and yielded up to thirty times as much, and sixty times as much, and even a hundred times as much as had been sown.

and other fell to the good ground, and was giving fruit, coming up and increasing, and it bare, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.'

9 A nd He said, He who has ears to hear, let him be hearing '> consider, and comprehend].

And he said to them, `He who is having ears to hear -- let him hear.'

10 A nd as soon as He was alone, those who were around Him, with the Twelve, began to ask Him about the parables.

And when he was alone, those about him, with the twelve, did ask him of the simile,

11 A nd He said to them, To you has been entrusted the mystery of the kingdom of God '> the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly]; but for those outside '> of our circle] everything becomes a parable,

and he said to them, `To you it hath been given to know the secret of the reign of God, but to those who are without, in similes are all the things done;

12 I n order that they may look and look but not see and perceive, and may hear and hear but not grasp and comprehend, lest haply they should turn again, and it '> their willful rejection of the truth] should be forgiven them.

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 A nd He said to them, Do you not discern and understand this parable? How then is it possible for you to discern and understand all the parables?

And he saith to them, `Have ye not known this simile? and how shall ye know all the similes?

14 T he sower sows the Word.

He who is sowing doth sow the word;

15 T he ones along the path are those who have the Word sown, but when they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the message which is sown in them.

and these are they by the way where the word is sown: and whenever they may hear, immediately cometh the Adversary, and he taketh away the word that hath been sown in their hearts.

16 A nd in the same way the ones sown upon stony ground are those who, when they hear the Word, at once receive and accept and welcome it with joy;

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

17 A nd they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while; then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, they immediately are offended (become displeased, indignant, resentful) and they stumble and fall away.

and have not root in themselves, but are temporary; afterward tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.

18 A nd the ones sown among the thorns are others who hear the Word;

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

19 T hen the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless.

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 becometh unfruitful.

20 A nd those sown on the good (well-adapted) soil are the ones who hear the Word and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit—some thirty times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some a hundred times as much.

`And these are they who on the good ground have been sown: who do hear the word, and receive, and do bear fruit, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.'

21 A nd He said to them, Is the lamp brought in to be put under a peck measure or under a bed, and not on the lampstand?

And he said to them, `Doth the lamp come that under the measure it may be put, or under the couch -- not that it may be put on the lamp-stand?

22 ' > Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything kept secret except in order that it may be made known.

for there is not anything hid that may not be manifested, nor was anything kept hid but that it may come to light.

23 I f any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend.

If any hath ears to hear -- let him hear.'

24 A nd He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure you give '> the truth you hear] will be the measure that comes back to you—and more will be given to you who hear.

And he said to them, `Take heed what ye hear; in what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you; and to you who hear it shall be added;

25 F or to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away '> by force],

for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever hath not, also that which he hath shall be taken from him.'

26 A nd He said, The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground,

And he said, `Thus is the reign of God: as if a man may cast the seed on the earth,

27 A nd then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases—he knows not how.

and may sleep, and may rise night and day, and the seed spring up and grow, he hath not known how;

28 T he earth produces by itself—first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

for of itself doth the earth bear fruit, first a blade, afterwards an ear, afterwards full corn in the ear;

29 B ut when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready.

and whenever the fruit may yield itself, immediately he doth send forth the sickle, because the harvest hath come.'

30 A nd He said, With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use to illustrate and explain it?

And he said, `To what may we liken the reign of God, or in what simile may we compare it?

31 I t is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all seeds upon the earth;

As a grain of mustard, which, whenever it may be sown on the earth, is less than any of the seeds that are on the earth;

32 Y et after it is sown, it grows up and becomes the greatest of all garden herbs and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air are able to make nests and dwell in its shade.

and whenever it may be sown, it cometh up, and doth become greater than any of the herbs, and doth make great branches, so that under its shade the fowls of the heaven are able to rest.'

33 W ith many such parables spoke the Word to them, as they were able to hear and to comprehend and understand.

And with many such similes he was speaking to them the word, as they were able to hear,

34 H e did not tell them anything without a parable; but privately to His disciples ( those who were peculiarly His own) He explained everything.

and without a simile he was not speaking to them, and by themselves, to his disciples he was expounding all.

35 O n that same day evening had come, He said to them, Let us go over to the other side.

And he saith to them on that day, evening having come, `We may pass over to the other side;'

36 A nd leaving the throng, they took Him with them, as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him.

and having let away the multitude, they take him up as he was in the boat, and other little boats also were with him.

37 A nd a furious storm of wind '> of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled.

And there cometh a great storm of wind, and the waves were beating on the boat, so that it is now being filled,

38 B ut He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing?

and he himself was upon the stern, upon the pillow sleeping, and they wake him up, and say to him, `Teacher, art thou not caring that we perish?'

39 A nd He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased ( sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was a great calm ( a perfect peacefulness).

And having waked up, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, `Peace, be stilled;' and the wind did lull, and there was a great calm:

40 H e said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)?

and he said to them, `Why are ye so fearful? how have ye not faith?'

41 A nd they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?

and they feared a great fear, and said one to another, `Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey him?'