Mark 4
1 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.
Jesus began teaching beside the Sea again. So many people came to listen to him that he climbed into a boat and sat in it on the water while the crowd listened from the shore.
2 He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
He illustrated his teachings using many stories.
3 “Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow.
“Listen,” he said. “A sower went out to sow.
4 As he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
Now as he was scattering the seeds, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate them up.
5 Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
Other seeds fell on stony ground where there wasn't much earth. In the shallow soil the plants started growing quickly, but because the soil wasn't deep
6 When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
they were scorched when the sun came up. Since they didn't have any real roots, they soon withered.
7 Others fell amongst the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Other seeds fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked the sprouting seeds, so they produced nothing.
8 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.”
Other seeds fell on good soil where they sprouted and grew. They produced a harvest of some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred times what was planted.
9 He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
If you have ears to hear, listen to what I'm saying.”
10 When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
When he was by himself, his twelve disciples and the others who were with him asked him what the illustrations meant.
11 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,
He told them, “The mystery of God's kingdom has been given to you to understand. But outsiders only have the stories,
12 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.’”
so that even though they see, they don't really ‘see,’ and even though they hear, they don't understand, otherwise they might turn to me and be forgiven.”
13 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
“Don't you understand this story?” Jesus asked them. “If you can't, how are you going to understand all the other stories?
14 The farmer sows the word.
The sower sows the word.
15 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.
The seeds on the path where the word is sown illustrate those who hear the message, but then Satan immediately comes along and takes away the word that's been sown in them.
16 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.
Likewise the seeds on the rocky ground illustrate those who hear the word, and happily accept it right away.
17 They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
But since they have no real roots, they only last for a while until trouble or persecution comes, and then they quickly fall away.
18 Others are those who are sown amongst the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,
Those sown among the thorns illustrate those who hear the word,
19 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)
but worries of this world, the temptation of wealth, and other distractions choke the growth of the word, and it becomes unproductive. (aiōn g165)
20 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.”
But the seeds sown on good soil illustrate those who hear the word, accept it, and are productive—producing thirty, sixty, and hundred times what was originally sown.
21 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?
Who puts a lamp under a bucket, or beneath a bed?” Jesus asked them. “No, you put a lamp up on a lamp-stand.
22 For there is nothing hidden except that it should be made known, neither was anything made secret but that it should come to light.
Everything that is hidden will be revealed, and everything that is secret will be brought out into the open.
23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”
If you have ears to hear, listen to what I'm saying!
24 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.
Pay attention to what you're hearing,” he told them, “for you will be given according to how much you want to receive, measure for measure.
25 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.”
More will be given to those who already have understanding, but those who don't want to know will have what little understanding they have taken from them.
26 He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
God's kingdom is like a man sowing seed in the ground,” Jesus said.
27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how.
“He goes to bed and gets up, day after day, but the man has no knowledge of how the seeds sprout and grow.
28 For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
The earth produces a harvest by itself. First a shoot appears, then the heads of grain, and then the heads of grain ripen.
29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
When the grain is ripe, the farmer reaps it with a sickle, because the harvest is ready.
30 He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
What can we compare God's kingdom to? What illustration shall we use?” he asked.
31 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,
“It's like a mustard seed, the tiniest seed of all.
32 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.”
But when it's sown it grows into a plant that's larger than other plants. It has branches big enough that birds can roost in its shade.”
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
Jesus used many of these illustrated stories when he spoke to the people so they would understand as much as they could.
34 Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
In fact, when he spoke publicly, he only used stories; however in private he explained everything to his disciples.
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.”
Later that day, in the evening, he said to his disciples, “Let's go across to the other side of the Sea.”
36 Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him.
Leaving the crowd behind, the disciples went with Jesus and got into a boat. Other boats went with them.
37 A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.
Soon a terrible storm started blowing, and waves crashed against the boat, filling it with water.
38 He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”
Jesus was asleep in the stern, resting his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting at him, “Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?”
39 He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Jesus woke up. He told the wind to die down and told the waves, “Be quiet! Be still.” The wind stopped, and the water became completely calm.
40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
“Why are you so frightened? Haven't you learned to trust me?” he asked them.
41 They were greatly afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
They were stunned and terrified. They asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
