Luke 8:4–18

⁴And a great crowd coming together, and those who were coming to him out of each city, he spoke by parable: ⁵The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the way, and it was trodden under foot, and the birds of the heaven devoured it up; ⁶and other fell upon the rock, and having sprung up, it was dried up because it had not moisture; ⁷and other fell in the midst of the thorns, and the thorns having sprung up with it choked it; ⁸and other fell into the good ground, and having sprung up bore fruit a hundredfold. As he said these things he cried, He that has ears to hear, let him hear. ⁹And his disciples asked him saying, What may this parable be? ¹⁰And he said, To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. ¹¹But the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹²But those by the wayside are those who hear; then comes the devil and takes away the word from their heart that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³But those upon the rock, those who when they hear receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a time, and in time of trial fall away. ¹⁴But that that fell where the thorns were, these are they who having heard go away and are choked under cares and riches and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to perfection. ¹⁵But that in the good ground, these are they who in an honest and good heart, having heard the word keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. ¹⁶And no one having lighted a lamp covers it with a vessel or puts it under a couch, but sets it on a lamp-stand, that they who enter in may see the light. ¹⁷For there is nothing hid which shall not become manifest, nor secret which shall not be known and come to light. ¹⁸Take heed therefore how ye hear; for whosoever has, to him shall be given, and whosoever has not, even what he seems to have shall be taken from him.