Mark 4
1 And again he began to teach by the sea, and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he, having gone into the boat, sat in the sea, and all the multitude was near the sea, on the land,
Once more He began to teach by the side of the Lake, and a vast multitude of people came together to listen to Him. He therefore went on board the boat and sat there, a little way from the land; and all the people were on the shore close to the water.
2 and he taught them many things in similes, and he said to them in his teaching:
Then He proceeded to teach them many lessons in figurative language; and in His teaching He said,
3 'Hearken, lo, the sower went forth to sow;
"Listen: the sower goes out to sow.
4 and it came to pass, in the sowing, some fell by the way, and the fowls of the heaven did come and devour it;
As he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and the birds come and peck it up.
5 and other fell upon the rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang forth, because of not having depth of earth,
Some falls on the rocky ground where it finds but little earth, and it shoots up quickly because it has no depth of soil;
6 and the sun having risen, it was scorched, and because of not having root it did wither;
but when the sun is risen, it is scorched, and through having no root it withers away.
7 and other fell toward the thorns, and the thorns did come up, and choke it, and fruit it gave not;
Some, again, falls among the thorns; and the thorns spring up and stifle it, so that it yields no crop.
8 and other fell to the good ground, and was giving fruit, coming up and increasing, and it bare, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.'
But some of the seed falls into good ground, and gives a return: it comes up and increases, and yields thirty, sixty, or a hundred-fold."
9 And he said to them, 'He who is having ears to hear — let him hear.'
"Listen," He added, "every one who has ears to listen with!"
10 And when he was alone, those about him, with the twelve, did ask him of the simile,
When He was alone, the Twelve and the others who were about Him requested Him to explain His figurative language.
11 and he said to them, 'To you it hath been given to know the secret of the reign of God, but to those who are without, in similes are all the things done;
"To you," He replied, "has been entrusted the secret truth concerning the Kingdom of God; but to those others outside your number all this is spoken in figurative language;
12 that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they may turn, and the sins may be forgiven them.'
that "'They may look and look but not see, and listen and listen but not understand, lest perchance they should return and be pardoned.'"
13 And he saith to them, 'Have ye not known this simile? and how shall ye know all the similes?
"Do you all miss the meaning of this parable?" He added; "how then will you understand the rest of my parables?"
14 He who is sowing doth sow the word;
"What the sower sows is the Message.
15 and these are they by the way where the word is sown: and whenever they may hear, immediately cometh the Adversary, and he taketh away the word that hath been sown in their hearts.
Those who receive the seed by the way-side are those in whom the Message is sown, but, when they have heard it, Satan comes at once and carries away the Message sown in them.
16 'And these are they, in like manner, who on the rocky ground are sown: who, whenever they may hear the word, immediately with joy do receive it,
In the same way those who receive the seed on the rocky places are those who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully,
17 and have not root in themselves, but are temporary; afterward tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.
but they have no root within them. They last for a time; then, when suffering or persecution comes because of the Message, they are immediately overthrown.
18 'And these are they who toward the thorns are sown: these are they who are hearing the word,
Others there are who receive the seed among the thorns: these are they who have heard the Message,
19 and the anxieties of this age, and the deceitfulness of the riches, and the desires concerning the other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
but worldly cares and the deceitfulness of wealth and the excessive pursuit of other objects come in and stifle the Message, and it becomes unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
20 'And these are they who on the good ground have been sown: who do hear the word, and receive, and do bear fruit, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.'
Those, on the other hand, who have received the seed on the good ground, are all who hear the Message and welcome it, and yield a return of thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold."
21 And he said to them, 'Doth the lamp come that under the measure it may be put, or under the couch — not that it may be put on the lamp-stand?
He went on to say, "Is the lamp brought in in order to be put under the bushel or under the bed? Is it not rather in order that it may be placed on the lampstand?
22 for there is not anything hid that may not be manifested, nor was anything kept hid but that it may come to light.
Why, there is nothing hidden except with a view to its being ultimately disclosed, nor has anything been made a secret but that it may at last come to light.
23 If any hath ears to hear — let him hear.'
Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!"
24 And he said to them, 'Take heed what ye hear; in what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you; and to you who hear it shall be added;
He also said to them, "Take care what you hear. With what measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and that with interest.
25 for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever hath not, also that which he hath shall be taken from him.'
For those who have will have more given them; and from those who have not, even what they have will be taken away."
26 And he said, 'Thus is the reign of God: as if a man may cast the seed on the earth,
Another saying of His was this: "The Kingdom of God is as if a man scattered seed over the ground:
27 and may sleep, and may rise night and day, and the seed spring up and grow, he hath not known how;
he spends days and nights, now awake, now asleep, while the seed sprouts and grows tall, he knows not how.
28 for of itself doth the earth bear fruit, first a blade, afterwards an ear, afterwards full corn in the ear;
Of itself the land produces the crop-- first the blade, then the ear; afterwards the perfect grain is seen in the ear.
29 and whenever the fruit may yield itself, immediately he doth send forth the sickle, because the harvest hath come.'
But no sooner is the crop ripe, than he sends the reapers, because the time of harvest has come."
30 And he said, 'To what may we liken the reign of God, or in what simile may we compare it?
Another saying of His was this: "How are we to picture the Kingdom of God? or by what figure of speech shall we represent it?
31 As a grain of mustard, which, whenever it may be sown on the earth, is less than any of the seeds that are on the earth;
It is like a mustard-seed, which, when sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds in the world;
32 and whenever it may be sown, it cometh up, and doth become greater than any of the herbs, and doth make great branches, so that under its shade the fowls of the heaven are able to rest.'
yet when sown it springs up and becomes larger than all the herbs, and throws out great branches, so that the birds build under its shadow."
33 And with many such similes he was speaking to them the word, as they were able to hear,
With many such parables He used to speak the Message to them according to their capacity for receiving it.
34 and without a simile he was not speaking to them, and by themselves, to his disciples he was expounding all.
But except in figurative language He spoke nothing to them; while to His own disciples He expounded everything, in private.
35 And he saith to them on that day, evening having come, 'We may pass over to the other side;'
The same day, in the evening, He said to them, "Let us cross to the other side."
36 and having let away the multitude, they take him up as he was in the boat, and other little boats also were with him.
So they got away from the crowd, and took Him--as He was--in the boat; and other boats accompanied Him.
37 And there cometh a great storm of wind, and the waves were beating on the boat, so that it is now being filled,
But a heavy squall came on, and the waves were now dashing into the boat, so that it was fast filling.
38 and he himself was upon the stern, upon the pillow sleeping, and they wake him up, and say to him, 'Teacher, art thou not caring that we perish?'
But He Himself was in the stern asleep, with His head on the cushion: so they woke Him. "Rabbi," they cried, "is it nothing to you that we are drowning?"
39 And having waked up, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace, be stilled;' and the wind did lull, and there was a great calm:
So He roused Himself and rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" The wind sank, and a perfect calm set in.
40 and he said to them, 'Why are ye so fearful? how have ye not faith?'
"Why are you so timid?" He asked; "have you still no faith?"
41 and they feared a great fear, and said one to another, 'Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey him?'
Then they were filled with terror, and began to say to one another, "Who is this, then? For even wind and sea obey Him."
