1 A gain he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea, and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.

Again 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.

2 H e taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,

And He taught them many things in parables (illustrations or comparisons put beside truths to explain them), and in His teaching He said to them:

3 “ Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,

Give attention to this! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

4 a nd as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.

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

5 O thers fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.

Other 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;

6 W hen the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

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

7 O thers fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

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

8 O thers fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.”

And 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.

9 H e said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

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

10 W hen he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

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

11 H e said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,

And 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,

12 t hat ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’”

In 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.

13 H e said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?

And 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?

14 T he farmer sows the word.

The sower sows the Word.

15 T he ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

The 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.

16 T hese in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.

And 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;

17 T hey have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.

And 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.

18 O thers are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,

And the ones sown among the thorns are others who hear the Word;

19 a nd the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Then 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.

20 T hose which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”

And 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.

21 H e said to them, “Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand?

And 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?

22 F or there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.

'> 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.

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

If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend.

24 H e said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.

And 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.

25 F or whoever has, to him will more be given, and he who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.”

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

26 H e said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,

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

27 a nd should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how.

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

28 F or the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

The earth produces by itself—first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

29 B ut when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

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

30 H e said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?

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

31 I t’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,

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

32 y et when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”

Yet 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.

33 W ith many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

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

34 W ithout a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

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

35 O n that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.”

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

36 L eaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him.

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

37 A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.

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

38 H e himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”

But 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?

39 H e awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

And 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).

40 H e said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”

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

41 T hey were greatly afraid, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

And 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?