Mark 4

VIN^{(i) 1} Jesus again began to teach by the Sea; and, as an immense crowd was gathering round him, he got into a boat, and sat in it on the Sea, while all the people were on the shore at the water's edge. ² and He taught them many things in parables. And in His teaching He said, ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop. ⁸ And some fell on good soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." ⁹ Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ¹⁰ When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He said to them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables ¹² so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’” ¹³ Then He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others are like the seeds sown on rocky places. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ but 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. ¹⁸ Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word, ¹⁹ but the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ Others 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." ²¹ He said to them, “Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand? ²² For everything hidden is meant to be revealed, and everything concealed is meant to be brought to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." ²⁴ "Take care what you hear," he said to them. "The measure you give will be given to you, and even more besides. ²⁵ For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” ²⁶ He also was saying: "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground, ²⁷ Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. ²⁸ All by itself the earth produces grainfirst the blade, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.” ³⁰ And he said, To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or what parable shall we use for it? ³¹ It is like a grain of mustard seed, which is the smallest seed planted in the ground: ³² when it is 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." ³³ With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand. ³⁴ And he did not speak to them without a parable; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. ³⁵ On that day when evening came he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." ³⁶ And leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" ³⁹ So he got up, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind quieted down, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ And He said to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you not still have [any] faith?” ⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly, and said to each other: Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!