3 And He spoke many things to them in aparables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow;

4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.

5 “Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.

6 “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 “Others fell 1among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

8 “And others fell on the good soil and * yielded a crop, some a ahundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

9 “aHe who has ears, 1let him hear.”

An Explanation

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

11 1Jesus answered them, “aTo you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

12 “aFor whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while aseeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 “1In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘2aYou will keep on hearing, 3but will not understand;

4You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

15 aFor the heart of this people has become dull,

With their ears they scarcely hear,

And they have closed their eyes,

Otherwise they would see with their eyes,

Hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart and return,

And I would heal them.’

16 “aBut blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

17 “For truly I say to you that amany prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Sower Explained

18 “aHear then the parable of the sower.

19 “When anyone hears athe 1word of the kingdom and does not understand it, bthe evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.

20 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the 1word, immediately he 2afalls away.

22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of athe 1world and the bdeceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some aa hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”