1 H e began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.

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

3 “ Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;

4 a s he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

5 O ther seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.

6 A nd after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 O ther seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8 O ther seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

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

10 A s soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.

11 A nd He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,

12 s o that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.” Explanation

13 A nd He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?

14 T he sower sows the word.

15 T hese are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

16 I n a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;

17 a nd they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

18 A nd others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

19 b ut the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 A nd those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

21 A nd He was saying to them, “ A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?

22 F or nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.

23 I f anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 A nd He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.

25 F or whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” Parable of the Seed

26 A nd He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;

27 a nd he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.

28 T he soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.

29 B ut when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 A nd He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?

31 I t is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,

32 y et when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”

33 W ith many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it;

34 a nd He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. Jesus Stills the Sea

35 O n that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”

36 L eaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.

37 A nd there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

38 J esus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 A nd He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

40 A nd He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 T hey became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”