Matthew 13:1-23

1On that day Jesus had gone out of 1the house and was sitting 2by the sea. 2And large crowds gathered to Him, so 3He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

3And He told them many things in 4parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. 6But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7Others fell 5among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a 6hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. 97The one who has ears, 8let him hear.”

10And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11And 9Jesus answered them, “10To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 1211For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while 12seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14And 13in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘1415You shall keep on listening, 16but shall not understand; And 17you shall keep on looking, 18but shall not perceive;1519For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their heart, and return, And I would heal them.’ 1620But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17For truly I say to you that 21many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

18“22Listen then to the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears 23the 24word of the kingdom and does not understand it, 25the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. 20The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the 26word, immediately he 2728falls away. 22And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of 29the 30world and the 31deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it 32becomes unfruitful. 23But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some 33a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”