Chapter 4
1 Again 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 .
2 He taught them many things in parables , and told them in his teaching ,
3 " Listen ! Behold , the farmer went out to sow .
4 As he sowed , some seed fell by the road , and the birds came and devoured it .
5 Others fell on the rocky ground , where it had little soil , and immediately it sprang up , because it had no depth of soil .
6 When the sun had risen , it was scorched ; and because it had no root , it withered away .
7 Others fell amongst the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it , and it yielded no fruit .
8 Others 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."
9 He said , " Whoever 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 , " To you is given the mystery of God ’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside , all things are done in parables ,
12 that ‘ 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 .’"
13 He said to them , "Don’ t you understand this parable ? How will you understand all of the parables ?
14 The farmer sows the word .
15 The 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 .
16 These 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 .
17 They have no root in themselves , but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word , immediately they stumble .
18 Others are those who are sown amongst the thorns. These are those who have heard the word ,
19 and 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.
20 Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word , accept it , and bear fruit , some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times."
21 He said to them , " Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed ? Isn’ t it put on a stand?
22 For there is nothing hidden except that it should be made known , neither was anything made secret but that it should come to light .
23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."
24 He 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 .
25 For whoever has , to him more will be given ; and he who doesn’t have , even that which he has will be taken away from him ."
26 He said , " God ’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth ,
27 and should sleep and rise night and day , and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’ t know how .
28 For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade , then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle , because the harvest has come ."
30 He said , " How will we liken God ’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it ?
31 It ’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 ,
32 yet 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 ."
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them , as they were able to hear it .
34 Without a parable he didn’ t speak to them ; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything .
35 On that day , when evening had come , he said to them , " Let ’s go over to the other side ."
36 Leaving the multitude , they took him with them , even as he was , in the boat . Some small boats were also with him .
37 A big wind storm arose , and the waves beat into the boat , so much that the boat was already filled .
38 He himself was in the stern , asleep on the cushion ; and they woke him up and asked him , " Teacher , don’ t you care that we are dying?"
39 He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea , " Peace ! Be still !" The wind ceased and there was a great calm .
40 He said to them , " Why are you so afraid ? How is it that you have no faith ?"
41 They were greatly afraid and said to one another , " Who then is this , that even the wind and the sea obey him ?"