Matthew 13:1–15

The Parable of the Sower

13:1–15pp—Mk 4:1–12; Lk 8:4–10 13:16,17pp—Lk 10:23, 24 13:18–23pp—Mk 4:13–20; Lk 8:11–15

13That same day Jesus went out of the house^u and sat by the lake. ²Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat^v and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred,^w sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear.”^x

¹⁰The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven^y has been given to you,^z but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.^{a 13}This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand.^b

¹⁴In them is fulfilled^c the prophecy of Isaiah:

“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

¹⁵For this people’s heart has become calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears,

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’^ad