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.
Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching, this is what he said to them.
He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
3 “Listen, the farmer went out to sow his seed.
“Listen! Behold, the farmer 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 by the road, 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.
Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, 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.
When the sun had risen, 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.
Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded 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.”
Others fell into the good ground and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.”
9 Then he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”
He said, “Whoever 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, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
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 said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done 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.”
that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’”
13 Then he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the other parables?
He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all 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.
The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been 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.
These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, 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.
They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
18 The others are the ones that were sown among the thorns. They hear the word,
Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard 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)
and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in 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.”
Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”
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 said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put 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 except that it should be made known, neither was anything made secret but that it should come to light.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
If any man 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 said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you; and more will be given 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, to him more will be given; and he who doesn’t have, even that which 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 said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
27 He sleeps at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t 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 bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29 When the crop is ripe, he immediately sends in the sickle because the harvest has come.”
But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in 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?
He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.
It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on 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.”
yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”
33 With many parables like this he spoke the word to them, as much as they were able to understand,
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
34 and he did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone, he explained everything to his own disciples.
Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
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 had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over 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.
Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small 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.
A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.
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?”
He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and asked him, “Rabbi, don’t you care that we are dying?”
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.
He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” 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?”
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?”
They were greatly afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
