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 by the sea, and a large crowd was gathered around him. So he got into the boat and sat in it on the sea, while the entire crowd was beside the sea on the shore.
2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching, this is what he said to them.
Then he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them,
3 “Listen, the farmer went out to sow his seed.
“Listen! A sower went out to sow.
4 As he sowed, some seed fell on the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
As he sowed, 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.
Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up immediately because it had no depth of soil.
6 But when the sun rose, the plants were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up.
But when the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
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 the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no fruit.
8 Other seed fell into good soil and it produced a crop growing up and increasing thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times.”
But other seed fell into good soil and produced fruit that grew and increased; some bore thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred times more than what was sown.”
9 Then he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Then he 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.
When he was alone with the twelve and the others who were 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,
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 spoken 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 see but not perceive, and hear but not understand, lest they should turn back and be forgiven of their sins.’”
13 Then he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the other parables?
Then he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the other parables?
14 The farmer who sows his seed is the one who sows the word.
The sower 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.
Now some people are like the seed along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in their hearts.
16 These are the ones that are sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
Likewise, some people are like the seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, they immediately 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.
Yet they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary. When tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, they immediately fall away.
18 The others are the ones that were sown among the thorns. They hear the word,
Others are like the seed 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 cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things enter 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.”
But others are like the seed sown on the good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and bear fruit—some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred times more than what was sown.”
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.
He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed? Is it not brought in to be set on a lampstand?
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 made manifest, nor has anything been made secret except to come 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.
Then he said to them, “Consider what you hear. With the measure you use it will be measured to you, and more will be added to you who hear.
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.
He 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.
He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he does not know how.
28 The earth bears grain by itself: First the blade, then the ear, then the mature grain in the ear.
For the earth produces a crop by itself: first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.
29 When the crop is ripe, he immediately sends in the sickle because the harvest has come.”
When the crop is ready, the man immediately sends in the sickle, for 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 Jesus said, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? Or what parable can we use to describe 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 grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on 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.”
Yet when it is sown, it grows and becomes larger than all the garden plants and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can 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 similar parables he spoke the word to them, to the extent that they were able to understand it.
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 speak to them without using a parable, but privately he explained everything to his disciples.
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”
On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side of the sea.”
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.
So they left the crowd and took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other little boats were also 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.
Now a great windstorm arose, and the waves were beating against the boat, so that it was nearly 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, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do yoʋ not 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 he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” So the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith?”
Then he said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you 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?”
And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
