The Parable of the Sower
(Mark 4:1–9; Luke 8:4–8)

1On that day Jesus, having gone out of the house, was sitting by the seaside. 2And there were gathered to Him great multitudes; so that He, having entered into a boat, sat down, and all the multitudes were standing on the beach.

3And He spake to them many things in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went forth to sow. 4And, in his sowing, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the birds, coming, devoured them. 5And others fell on the rocky places, where they had not much earth; and straightway they sprang up, because they had not depth of earth. 6And, the sun having risen, they were scorched; and, because they had no root, they withered away. 7And others fell upon the thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8And others fell on the good ground, and were yielding fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9He that has ears let him hear."

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables
(Mark 4:10–12; Luke 8:9–10)

10And the disciples, having come near, said to Him, "Wherefore dost Thou speak to them in parables?" 11And He, answering, said to them, "Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall be made to abound; but whosoever has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13On this account, I speak to them in parables; because, seeing, they see not; and, hearing, they hear not, nor understand.

14And to them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, 'With hearing ye will hear, and will not understand; and, seeing, ye will see, and will not perceive;

15for the heart of this people was made gross, and with their ears they heard heavily, and their eyes they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I should heal them.'

16But happy are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17For verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what ye are seeing, and did not see them; and to hear what ye are hearing, and did not hear them.

The Parable of the Sower Explained
(Mark 4:13–20; Luke 8:11–15)

18Hear ye, therefore, the parable of the sower. 19When any one hears the word of the Kingdom, and understands it not, the evil one comes, and snatches away what has been sown in his heart: this is he that was sown by the wayside. 20And he that was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and straightway with joy receives it; 21yet he has not root in himself, but is only temporary; and, when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, straightway he stumbles. 22And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that hears the word; and the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23But he that was sown on the good ground, this is he that hears the word and understands it; who, indeed, bears fruit, and produces, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

The Parable of the Weeds

24Another parable He set before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven was likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25and, while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares in the midst of the wheat, and went away. 26And, when the blade sprang up, and produced fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27And the servants of the house-holder, corning near, said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Whence, then, has it tares?' 28And he said to them, 'An enemy did this.' The servants say to him, 'Do you wish, then, that we, going, should gather them up?' 29He says, 'No; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. 30Suffer both to grow together until the harvest. And, in the season of harvest, I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them into bundles, with the view of burning them; but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Mark 4:30–34; Luke 13:18–19)

31Another parable He set before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man, having taken, sowed in his field: 32which, indeed, is less than all the seeds; but, when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and roost in its branches."

The Parable of the Leaven
(Luke 13:20–21)

33Another parable He spake to them: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman, taking, hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."

I Will Open My Mouth in Parables

34All these things Jesus spake to the multitudes in parables; and, without a parable, He was wont to speak nothing to them;

35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world."

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36Then, leaving the multitudes, He went into the house; and His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." 37And, answering, He said, "He that sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world: and the good seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom; but the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy that sowed them is the Devil; and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40As, therefore, the tares are gathered up, and are burned with fire, so shall it be in the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of the Kingdom all the stumbling-blocks, and those who do iniquity; 42and they will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping, and the gnashing of teeth! 43Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He that has ears let him hear.

The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl

44"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

45"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls; 46and, having found one pearl of great price, departing, he has sold all that he had, and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

47"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net, cast into the sea, and gathering of every kind; 48which, when it was filled having drawn it up again upon the beach, and sitting down, they gathered the good into vessels, but cast away the bad. 49So will it be at the end of the age. The angels will go forth, and will separate the wicked from the midst of the righteous, 50and will cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping, and the gnashing of teeth.

51"Did ye understand all these things?" They say to Him, "Yes;" 52and He said to them, "Therefore, every scribe, having been made a disciple to the Kingdom of heaven, is like a householder, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old."

The Rejection at Nazareth
(Mark 6:1–6; Luke 4:16–30)

53And it came to pass, when Jesus finished these parables, He departed thence. 54And, coming into His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Whence hath this Man this wisdom, and the mighty works? 55Is not This the carpenter's Son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? 56And His sisters, are they not all with us? Whence, then, hath this Man all these things?" 57And they were finding in Him occasion to stumble. And Jesus said to them "a prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house." 58And He did not perform many mighty works there because of their unbelief.