Matthew 13:24–46

The Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat

²⁴He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while his^j people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel^k in the midst of the wheat and went away. ²⁶So when the wheat^l sprouted and yielded grain, then the darnel appeared also. ²⁷So the slaves of the master of the house came and^* said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have darnel?’ ²⁸And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and^* gather them?’ ²⁹But he said, “No, lest when you^* gather the darnel you uproot the wheat together with it. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the season of the harvest I will tell the reapers, “First gather the darnel and tie it into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my storehouse.” ’ ”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³¹He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and^* sowed in his field. ³²It^m is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it is grown it is larger than the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”

The Parable of the Yeast

³³He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and^* put into three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”

Parables Fulfill Prophecy

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables, and he was saying nothing to them without a parable, ³⁵in order that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, who said,

“I will open my mouth in parables;

I will proclaim what has been hidden since the creation.”^no

The Parable of the Weeds Interpreted

³⁶Then he left the crowds and^* came into the house, and his disciples came to him saying, “Explain the parable of the darnel in the field to us.” ³⁷So he answered and^* said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸and the field is the world. And the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one. ³⁹And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰Thus just as the darnel is gathered and burned^p with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds, ⁴²and throw them into the fiery furnace.^q In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.^r The one who has ears, let him hear!

The Parable of the Treasure Hidden in a Field

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, that a man found and^* concealed, and in his joy he goes and sells everything that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Valuable Pearl

⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. ⁴⁶And when he^* found one very valuable pearl, he went and^* sold everything that he possessed and purchased it.