1On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
2And great crowds gathered to him, so that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the shore.
3And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Look, the sower went out to sow.”
4And as he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up immediately because they had no depth of soil.
6But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away.
7Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8Other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop—some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
9He who has ears, let him hear.
10And the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
11He answered them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”
12For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
13This is why I speak to them in parables: because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.’
15For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
17For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18You, then, listen to the parable of the sower.
19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
20As for the seed sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.
21Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. And when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.
22As for the seed sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the anxiety of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23As for the seed sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
24He put another parable before them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.”
25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27And the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? So where did the weeds come from?’
28He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’
29But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you uproot the wheat along with them.’
30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the harvesters, “First gather the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’
31He presented another parable to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.’
32Though it is the smallest of all the seeds, when it has grown it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.
33He spoke another parable to them: ‘The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole batch was leavened.’
34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables, and he did not speak to them without a parable.
35This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying: ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation.’
36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’
37And he answered and said, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.’
38The field is the world, and the good seed are the sons of the kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned up with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who practice lawlessness,
42and they will throw them into the fiery furnace. 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. He who has ears, let him hear.
44The kingdom of the heavens is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
46and when he found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
48When it was full, they hauled it up on the shore, and sitting down, they gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw out.
49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous
50and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51‘Have you understood all these things?’ They said to him, ‘Yes.’
52And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of the heavens is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
53And when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.
54And coming to his hometown, he began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?’
55Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
56And his sisters, are they not all with us? So where did this man get all these things?
57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and in his own household.’
58And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
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