| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Again he began to teach by the lake. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there while the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake. | 1Then Jesus began to teach again beside the sea. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while the entire crowd remained beside the sea on the shore. |
| 2He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching said to them: | 2He began teaching them many things in parables. While he was teaching them he said, |
| 3"Listen! A sower went out to sow. | 3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow. |
| 4And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. | 4As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. |
| 5Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. | 5Others fell on stony ground, where they didn't have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once, because the soil wasn't deep. |
| 6When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root, it withered. | 6But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they didn't have any roots, they dried up. |
| 7Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked it, and it did not produce grain. | 7Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes came up and choked them out, and they didn't produce anything. |
| 8But other seed fell on good soil and produced grain, sprouting and growing; some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred times." | 8But others fell on good soil and produced a crop. They grew up, increased in size, and produced 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown." |
| 9And he said, "Whoever has ears to hear had better listen!" | 9He added, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!" |
| 10When he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. | 10When he was alone with the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the parables. |
| 11He said to them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables, | 11He told them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables |
| 12so that although they look they may look but not see, and although they hear they may hear but not understand, so they may not repent and be forgiven." | 12so that 'they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not understand, otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven.'" |
| 13He said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? Then how will you understand any parable? | 13Then he told them, "You don't understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables? |
| 14The sower sows the word. | 14The farmer sows the word. |
| 15These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: Whenever they hear, immediately Satan comes and snatches the word that was sown in them. | 15Some people are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. |
| 16These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they receive it with joy. | 16Others are like the seeds sown on the stony ground. When they hear the word, at once they joyfully accept it, |
| 17But they have no root in themselves and do not endure. Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. | 17but since they don't have any roots, they last for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall away. |
| 18Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, | 18Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the people who hear the word, |
| 19but worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it produces nothing. | 19but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can't produce a crop. |
| 20But these are the ones sown on good soil: They hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirty times as much, one sixty, and one a hundred." | 20Others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—30, 60, or 100 times what was sown." |
| 21He also said to them, "A lamp isn't brought to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Isn't it to be placed on a lampstand? | 21Then Jesus told them, "A lamp isn't brought indoors to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? It's to be put on a lamp stand, isn't it? |
| 22For nothing is hidden except to be revealed, and nothing concealed except to be brought to light. | 22Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is secret except for the purpose of having it come to light. |
| 23If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!" | 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen! |
| 24And he said to them, "Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you. | 24He went on to say to them, "Pay attention to what you're hearing! You will be evaluated by the same standard with which you do your evaluating, and still more will be given to you, |
| 25For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." | 25because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away." |
| 26He also said, "The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. | 26He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. |
| 27He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. | 27He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how |
| 28By itself the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. | 28the ground produces grain by itself—first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. |
| 29And when the grain is ripe, he sends in the sickle because the harvest has come." | 29But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come." |
| 30He also asked, "To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? | 30He was also saying, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? |
| 31It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground-- | 31It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it's the smallest of all the seeds on earth, |
| 32when it is sown, it grows up, becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds can nest in its shade." | 32when it's planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade." |
| 33So with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear. | 33With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. |
| 34He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately he explained everything to his own disciples. | 34He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private. |
| 35On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go across to the other side of the lake." | 35That day, when evening had come, he told them, "Let's cross to the other side." |
| 36So after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat, and other boats were with him. | 36So they left the crowd and took him away in a boat without making any special preparations. Other boats were with him. |
| 37Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. | 37A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so that the boat was rapidly becoming swamped. |
| 38But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?" | 38But Jesus was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and asked him, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?" |
| 39So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Be quiet! Calm down!" Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. | 39Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and told the sea, "Calm down! Be still!" Then the wind stopped blowing, and there was a great calm. |
| 40And he said to them, "Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?" | 40He asked them, "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith yet?" |
| 41They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, "Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!" | 41Overcome with fear, they kept saying to one another, "Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!" |
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