Mark 4
1 Jesus again began to teach by the Sea; and, as an immense crowd was gathering round him, he got into a boat, and sat in it on the Sea, while all the people were on the shore at the water’s edge.
AND again he began to teach by the sea side: and a vast multitude was assembled about him, so that he went into a vessel to sit down on the sea, and all the multitude was on the land close by the sea.
2 Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them:
And he taught them in parables many things, and said unto them in the course of his teaching,
3 “Listen! The sower went out to sow;
Hear me! Behold, a sower went out to sow;
4 and presently, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up.
and it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the road side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up.
5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once;
And some fell on a rocky soil, where it had not much mold, and immediately it sprung up, because it had no depth of earth:
6 but, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away.
and when the sun arose it was scorched up; and because it had not root, it withered away.
7 Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it, and it produced no fruit.
8 Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold.”
And some fell on good ground, and produced fruit, growing up, and increasing, and yielded one part thirty fold, and another sixty, and another an hundred.
9 And Jesus said: “Let any one who has ears to hear with hear.”
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 Afterwards, when he was alone, his followers and the Twelve asked him about his parables;
But when they were alone, those who were about him with the twelve, asked him the meaning of the parable.
11 and he said: “To you the hidden truth of the Kingdom of God has been imparted; but to those who are outside it all teaching takes the form of parables, that —
And he said to them, To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are without, all things are in parables:
12 ‘Though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; and though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.’
That seeing they may see, yet not perceive; and hearing may hear, yet not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins be forgiven them.
13 “You do not know the meaning of this parable!” he went on; “Then how will you understand all the other parables?
And he saith to them, Know ye not this parable? and how will ye know all parables?
14 The sower sows the Message.
The sower soweth the word.
15 The People meant by the seed that falls along the path are these — where the Message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the Message that has been sown in them.
Now these are they by the road side; where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan cometh, and taketh away the word sown on their hearts:
16 So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully;
and these in like manner are they who were sown on the rocky soil; who when they have heard the word, instantly with joy receive it;
17 but, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, they fall away at once.
and have no root in themselves, but are temporary professors: afterwards, when tribulation cometh or persecution for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
18 Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the Message,
And those are the sown among the thorns; such as are hearers of the word;
19 but the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. (aiōn g165)
but the anxious cares of this world, and the seducing nature of wealth, and inordinate desires after other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
20 But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the Message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold.”
And these are they who are sown on the good ground, such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
21 And Jesus said to them: “Is a lamp brought to be put under the corn-measure or under the couch, instead of being put on the lamp-stand?
And he said unto them, Is a lamp brought out to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not to be placed on a stand?
22 Nothing is hidden unless it is some day to come to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day.
For there is nothing hid, but that it should be brought to light, nor is any thing concealed, but that it should come into open day.
23 Let all who have ears to hear with hear.
If any man hath ears to hear, let him hear.
24 Take care what you listen to,” said Jesus. “The measure you mete will be meted out to you, and more will be added for you.
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with the measure ye mete, shall it be measured back to you; and something over shall be given to you that hear.
25 For, to those who have, more will be given; while, from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”
For to him that hath, there shall more be given to him; but he that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him.
26 Jesus also said: “This is what the Kingdom of God is like — like a man who has scattered seed on the ground,
And he said, The kingdom of heaven is of that kind, as if a man should cast seed into his field;
27 and then sleeps by night and rises by day, while the seed is shooting up and growing — he knows not how.
and sleep and rise, night and day, and the sown corn should sprout, and grow into length, he knoweth not how:
28 The ground bears the crop of itself — first the blade, then the ear, and then the full grain in the ear;
for the earth, naturally prolific, beareth fruit; first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.
29 but, as soon as the crop is ready, immediately he ‘puts in the sickle because harvest has come’.”
But when the grain is ready, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because harvest is come.
30 Jesus also said: “To what can we liken the Kingdom of God?
And he said, To what shall I liken the kingdom of God, and under what parabolic figure shall I represent it?
31 By what can we illustrate it? Perhaps by the growth of a mustard-seed. This seed, when sown in the ground, though it is smaller than all other seeds,
It is like a grain of mustard, which when it is sown in the earth, is among the least of all the seeds which are upon the earth:
32 yet, when sown, shoots up, and becomes larger than any other herb, and puts out great branches, so that even ‘the wild birds can roost in its shelter.’”
but when it is sown, it groweth up and becomes greater than all herbaceous plants, and produceth vast branches; so that the birds of the air may roost under the shadow of it.
33 With many such parables Jesus used to speak to the people of his Message, as far as they were able to receive it;
And with many such like parables spake he to them the word.
34 and to them he never used to speak except in parables; but in private to his own disciples he explained everything.
And without a parable spake he not unto them; but in private he explained them all to his disciples.
35 In the evening of the same day, Jesus said to them: “Let us go across.”
And the same day he saith unto them, as the evening shut in, Let us pass over to the other side.
36 So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him.
And sending the multitude away, they took him just as he was in the vessel; and there were also some other little vessels with him.
37 A violent squall came on, and the waves kept dashing into the boat, so that the boat was actually filling.
And a great hurricane arose, and the waves broke into the vessel, so that it was now full of water:
38 Jesus was in the stern asleep upon the cushion; and the disciples roused him and cried: “Teacher! is it nothing to you that we are lost?”
and he was in the stern, sleeping on a pillow: and they awoke him, and say unto him, Master, is it no concern to thee that we are perishing?
39 Jesus rose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: “Hush! Be still!” Then the wind dropped, and a great calm followed.
And rising, he with authority charged the wind, and said to the sea, Silence! be still! And the wind subsided, and there was a great calm.
40 “Why are you so timid?” he exclaimed. “Have you no faith yet?”
And he said to them, Why are ye so timorous? How is it that ye have not confidence?
41 But they were struck with great awe, and said to one another: “Who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
And they were filled with the most reverential awe, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
