Mark 4
1 Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a large crowd gathered around him. He stepped into a boat that was on the sea, and he sat down in it. The whole crowd was on the shore beside the sea.
Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.
2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching, this is what he said to them.
And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said,
3 “Listen, the farmer went out to sow his seed.
“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 As he sowed, some seed fell on the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. Immediately it sprang up, because it did not have deep soil.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
6 But when the sun rose, the plants were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up.
But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seed fell among the thorn plants. The thorn plants grew up and choked it, and it did not produce a crop.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.
8 Other seed fell into good soil and it produced a crop growing up and increasing thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times.”
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”
9 Then he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10 When Jesus was alone, those who were close to him and with the twelve asked him about the parables.
As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.
11 He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those outside everything is in parables,
He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,
12 so that when they look, yes they look, but do not see, and so that when they hear, yes they hear, but do not understand, or else they would turn and God would forgive them.”
so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
13 Then he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the other parables?
Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?
14 The farmer who sows his seed is the one who sows the word.
The farmer sows the word.
15 These are the ones that fall beside the road, where the word was sown, but when they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
16 These are the ones that are sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17 They have no root in themselves, but endure for a short time. Then tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, and immediately they stumble.
But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18 The others are the ones that were sown among the thorns. They hear the word,
Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word,
19 but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things enter in and choke the word, and it does not produce a crop. (aiōn g165)
but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
20 Then those that were sown in the good soil are the ones who hear the word and receive it, and they produce crops—thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown.”
Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”
21 Jesus said to them, “Do you bring a lamp inside the house to put it under a basket, or under the bed? You bring it in and you put it on a lampstand.
Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand?
22 For nothing is hidden that will not be known, and nothing is secret that will not come out into the open.
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear, for the measure you use will be measured to you, and more will be added to you.
He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.
25 Because whoever has, to him will be given more, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken.”
For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who sows his seed on the ground.
Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
27 He sleeps at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.
28 The earth bears grain by itself: First the blade, then the ear, then the mature grain in the ear.
All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within.
29 When the crop is ripe, he immediately sends in the sickle because the harvest has come.”
And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30 Again he said, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to explain it?
Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?
31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.
32 Yet, when it is sown, it grows and becomes greater than all the garden plants, and it forms large branches, so that the birds of heaven can make their nests in its shade.”
But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”
33 With many parables like this he spoke the word to them, as much as they were able to understand,
With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand.
34 and he did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone, he explained everything to his own disciples.
He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”
When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.”
36 So they left the crowd, taking Jesus with them, just as he was, in the boat. There were other boats going along with him.
After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him.
37 Just then a violent windstorm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was almost full of water.
Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.
38 But Jesus himself was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him up, saying, “Teacher, do you not care that we are about to die?”
But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.
40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith?”
“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, because even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
