Mark 4
1 Once again He began to teach beside the sea. And a large crowd was gathered to Him, so that He got into the boat and sat down, out on the water, while the whole crowd was on the land, at the water's edge.
Again, he was teaching by the sea side, when so great a multitude gathered about him, that he was obliged to go aboard a bark, and sit there, while all the people remained on shore.
2 Then He began teaching them many things by parables and said to them in His teaching:
Then he taught them many things by parables.
3 “Listen! Yes, a sower went out to sow.
In teaching, he said to them, Attend, behold the sower went out to sow.
4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
And as he sowed, part of the seed fell by the way-side, and the birds came and picked it up.
5 Some fell on the rocky area where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly because it had no depth of soil.
Part fell upon rocky ground, where it had little mold. This sprang sooner, because there was no depth of soil.
6 But upon the sun's rising it was scorched, and because it had no root it was withered up.
But after the sun had beaten upon it, it was scorched, and having no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and smothered it, and it yielded no fruit.
Part fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and stifled it, so that it yielded nothing.
8 And some fell into the good ground, and coming up and growing it started to produce fruit—yielding thirty times as much, sixty times as much, even a hundred times as much.”
Part fell into good ground, and sprang up, and became so fruitful, that some grains produced thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred.
9 Then He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
He added. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.
10 But when He was alone, those who were around Him, with the twelve, asked Him about the parable.
When he was in private, those who were about him with the twelve, asked him the meaning of the parable.
11 So He said to them: “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, everything is being given in parables,
He said to them, It is your privilege to know the secrets of the Reign of God, but to those without everything is vailed in parables;
12 so that: ‘Seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; so that they should not return and their sins be forgiven them.’”
that they may not perceive what they look at, or understand what they hear; lest they should be reclaimed, and obtain the forgiveness of their sins.
13 Then He said to them: “Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
He said also to them, Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
14 The sower sows the Word.
The sower is he who disperses the word.
15 These are the ones where the Word is sown along the path: as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts.
The wayside on which some of the grain fell, denotes those who have no sooner heard the word, than Satan comes, and takes away that which was sown in their hearts.
16 Similarly, these are the ones sown on the rocky area: as soon as they hear the Word they receive it with joy,
The rocky ground denotes those, who, hearing the word, receive it first with pleasure;
17 but since they have no root in themselves they are temporary—when oppression or persecution comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away.
yet not having it rooted in their minds, retain it but a while; for when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they instantly relapse.
18 And these are the ones sown among the thorns: they hear the Word,
The ground overrun with thorns, denotes those hearers
19 but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the undue desires for other things come in and smother the Word, and it becomes unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
in whom worldly cares, and delusive riches, and the inordinate desire of other things, stifle the word, and render it unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
20 And these are the ones sown on the good ground: such people hear the Word, welcome it and produce fruit—thirty times as much, sixty times as much, even a hundred times as much.”
The good soil on which some grains yielded thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred, denotes those who hear the word, and retain it, and produce the fruits thereof.
21 Also He said to them: “The lamp is not brought to be put under a box or under a bed, is it? Is it not to be placed on its stand?
He said further, Is a lamp brought to be put under a vessel, or under a bed, and not to be set on a stand?
22 For there is no ‘hidden’ that may not be exposed, nor has anything been concealed but that it should come to light.
For there is no secret, that is not discovered; nor has anything been concealed, which is not to be divulged.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24 Then He said to them: “Pay attention to what you hear. With the same measure you use it will be measured to you in return; and to you who hear, more will be added.
He said, moreover, Consider what you hear: with the measure with which you give, you shall receive.
25 Because whoever has, to him more will be given; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
For to him who has, more shall be given; but from him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken.
26 He also said: “The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter the seed on the ground
He said also, The kingdom of God is like seed, which a man sowed in his field.
27 and should sleep and get up night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
While he slept by night, and waked by day, the seed shot up, and grew without his minding it.
28 All by itself the earth produces fruit: first a shoot, then a head of grain, then full grain in the head.
For the earth produces of itself first the blade, then the ear; afterward the full corn.
29 But as soon as the grain is ready, he sends in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
But as soon as the grain was ripe, he applied the sickle, because it was time to reap it.
30 Again He said: “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or with what sort of parable should we illustrate it?
He said also, To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or by what similitude shall we represent it?
31 It is like a mustard seed, that when it is sown on the ground is the smallest of all such seeds,
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds that are there.
32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden herbs and produces big branches, so that the birds of the air are able to rest in its shade.”
But after it is sown, it springs up, and becomes greater than any herb, and shoots out branches so large, that under their shades, the birds of the air may find shelter.
33 It was with many such parables that He was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
And in many such similitudes, he conveyed instruction to the people, as he found them disposed to hear:
34 But apart from a parable He did not speak to them; privately, however, He would explain everything to His disciples.
and without a similitude he told them nothing; but he solved all to his disciples in private.
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”
That day, in the evening, he said to them, Let us pass to the other side.
36 Since He was already in the boat, they took off with Him, leaving the crowd behind (other little boats were also with Him).
And they, leaving the people, but having him in the bark, set sail in company with other small barks.
37 Well a strong cyclonic wind came up, such that the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling up.
Then there arose a great storm of wind which drove the billows into the bark, which was now full.
38 But He was on the poop deck, sleeping on the cushion; so they awakened Him and said to Him, “Teacher, don't you care that we are perishing?”
Jesus being in the stern, asleep on a pillow, they awake him, saying, Rabbi, do you not care that we perish?
39 Then, having been awakened, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Shut up; be muzzled!” So the wind stopped and there was a complete calm.
And he arose, and commanded the wind, saying to the sea, Peace! be still! Immediately the wind ceased, and great calm ensued.
40 And He said to them: “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
And he said to them, Why are you so timorous? How is it that you have no faith?
41 They were terrified and started saying to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!?”
And they were exceedingly terrified, and said one to another, Who is this, whom even the wind and the sea obey?
