Matthew 13:1–15

The Parable of the Sower

13That same day Jesus went out of the house ^oand sat beside the sea. ²And great crowds gathered about him, ^pso that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³And ^qhe told them many things in parables, saying: ^r“A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶but ^swhen the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, ^tthey withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among ^uthorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some ^va hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ^9wHe who has ears,¹ let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹And he answered them, ^x“To you it has been given to know ^ythe secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ^12zFor to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, ^aeven what he has will be taken away. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables, because ^bseeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, ^cnor do they understand. ¹⁴Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

^d“ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

¹⁵For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and with their ears ^ethey can barely hear,

and ^ftheir eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and ^gunderstand with their heart

and ^hturn, and I would heal them.’