Luke 8:4–18

The Parable of the Sower

⁴And while^* a large crowd was gathering and they were going to him from town after town, he spoke by means of a parable: ⁵“The sower went out to sow his seed, and while he was sowing, some seed^b fell on the side of the path and was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶And other seed fell on the rock, and when it^* came up, it withered, because it did not have moisture. ⁷And other seed fell in the midst of the thorn plants, and the thorn plants grew up with it^* and^* choked it. ⁸And other seed fell on the good soil, and when it^* came up, it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he^* said these things, he called out, “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Reason for the Parables

⁹And his disciples asked him what this parable meant. ¹⁰And he said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are in parables, so that

‘Seeing they may not see,

and hearing they may not understand.’^c

The Parable of the Sower Interpreted

¹¹Now the parable means this: the seed is the word of God, ¹²and those beside the path are the ones who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and^* be saved. ¹³And those on the rock are those who receive the word with joy when they hear it,^* and these do not have enough root, who believe for a time and in a time of testing fall away. ¹⁴And the seed that fell into the thorn plants—these are the ones who hear and as they^* go along are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and they do not bear fruit to maturity. ¹⁵But the seed on the good soil—these are the ones who, after^* hearing the word, hold fast to it^* with a noble and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

The Parable of the Lamp

¹⁶“And no one, after^* lighting a lamp, covers it with a jar or puts it^* under a bed, but puts it^* on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. ¹⁷For nothing is secret that will not become evident, and nothing hidden that will never be known and come to light. ¹⁸Therefore consider how you listen, for whoever has, to him more will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away from him.”