Mark 4:1–25

¹And again he began to teach by the sea, and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he, having gone into the boat, sat in the sea, and all the multitude was near the sea, on the land, ²and he taught them many things in similes, and he said to them in his teaching: ³‘Hearken, lo, the sower went forth to sow; ⁴and it came to pass, in the sowing, some fell by the way, and the fowls of the heaven did come and devour it; ⁵and other fell upon the rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang forth, because of not having depth of earth, ⁶and the sun having risen, it was scorched, and because of not having root it did wither; ⁷and other fell toward the thorns, and the thorns did come up, and choke it, and fruit it gave not; ⁸and other fell to the good ground, and was giving fruit, coming up and increasing, and it bare, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.’ ⁹And he said to them, ‘He who is having ears to hear—let him hear.’ ¹⁰And when he was alone, those about him, with the twelve, did ask him of the simile, ¹¹and he said to them, ‘To you it hath been given to know the secret of the reign of God, but to those who are without, in similes are all the things done; ¹²that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they may turn, and the sins may be forgiven them.’ ¹³And he saith to them, ‘Have ye not known this simile? and how shall ye know all the similes? ¹⁴He who is sowing doth sow the word; ¹⁵and these are they by the way where the word is sown: and whenever they may hear, immediately cometh the Adversary, and he taketh away the word that hath been sown in their hearts.

¹⁶‘And these are they, in like manner, who on the rocky ground are sown: who, whenever they may hear the word, immediately with joy do receive it, ¹⁷and have not root in themselves, but are temporary; afterward tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.

¹⁸‘And these are they who toward the thorns are sown: these are they who are hearing the word, ¹⁹and the anxieties of this age, and the deceitfulness of the riches, and the desires concerning the other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

²⁰‘And these are they who on the good ground have been sown: who do hear the word, and receive, and do bear fruit, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.’

²¹And he said to them, ‘Doth the lamp come that under the measure it may be put, or under the couch—not that it may be put on the lamp-stand? ²²for there is not anything hid that may not be manifested, nor was anything kept hid but that it may come to light. ²³If any hath ears to hear—let him hear.’ ²⁴And he said to them, ‘Take heed what ye hear; in what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you; and to you who hear it shall be added; ²⁵for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever hath not, also that which he hath shall be taken from him.’