The Parable of the Sower

1On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea,

2and large crowds gathered around him. So he got into ¹⁰⁴the boat and sat down, while the entire crowd stood on the shore.

3Then he told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a sower went out to sow.

4As he sowed, 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 rose, 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.

8But other seeds fell on good soil and produced fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times more than what was sown.

9He who has ears ¹⁰⁵to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Speaking in Parables

10Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do yoʋ speak to the people in parables?”

11Jesus answered ¹⁰⁶them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

12For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

13That is why I speak to them in parables, ¹⁰⁷because ‘they see but do not perceive, and they hear but do not listen or understand.’

14In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says,
‘Yoʋ will hear but never understand,
and you will see but never perceive.

15For the heart of this people has become calloused;
with their ears they have barely heard,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts and turn back,
and I would heal them.’

16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

17For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous people desired to see the things you see but did not see them, and to hear the things you hear but did not hear them.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18“So hear what the parable of the sower means:

19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and ¹⁰⁸snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

20The seed sown on rocky ground is he who hears the word and immediately ¹⁰⁹receives it with joy.

21Yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary. When tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately falls away.

22The seed sown among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of ¹¹⁰this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

23But the seed sown on the good soil is he who hears the word and understands it, who bears fruit and produces a hundred, sixty, or thirty times more than what was sown.”

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

24Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a person who sowed good seed in his field,

25but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away.

26When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the tares also appeared.

27So the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did yoʋ not sow good seed in yoʋr field? How then does it have tares?’

28He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Do yoʋ want us to go and gather them up?’

29He said, ‘No, lest in gathering the tares you uproot the wheat with them.

30Let them both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “Gather the tares first and bind them into bundles to burn them up, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

31He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

32Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than ¹¹¹the other garden plants and becomes a tree, and the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”

The Parable of the Leaven

33He spoke to them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour until it had all been leavened.”

The Use of Parables

34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; he ¹¹²did not speak to them without using a parable.

35This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will declare things hidden from the foundation ¹¹³of the world.”

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares Explained

36Then Jesus left the crowds and went into ¹¹⁴the house, and his disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”

37So he said ¹¹⁵to them in response, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

38The field is the world, and the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. The tares 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 reapers are angels.

40Therefore, just as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of ¹¹⁶this 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.

42They 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 ¹¹⁷to hear, let him hear.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

44“ ¹¹⁸Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again, and in his joy he went and sold all that he had and bought the field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls.

46When he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Dragnet

47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish.

48When it was full, the fishermen drew it to shore. Then they sat down and put the good fish into containers, but the bad ones they threw away.

49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous

50and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of ¹¹⁹teeth.”

New and Old Treasures

51Jesus said to them, “Do you understand all these things?” They said to him, “ ¹²⁰Yes, Lord.”

52Then he said to them, “Every scribe that has been trained as a disciple for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

53When Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.

54Then he went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?

55Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother's name Mary, and are not his brothers James, ¹²¹Joses, Simon, and Judas?

56Are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

57And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”

58And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.