Matthew 13:3-23

3And He told them many things in 1parables, 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 2among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a 3hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. 94The one who has ears, 5let him hear.”

10And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11And 6Jesus answered them, “7To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 128For 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 9seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14And 10in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘1112You shall keep on listening, 13but shall not understand; And 14you shall keep on looking, 15but shall not perceive;1516For 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.’ 1617But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17For truly I say to you that 18many 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“19Listen then to the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears 20the 21word of the kingdom and does not understand it, 22the 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 23word, immediately he 2425falls away. 22And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of 26the 27world and the 28deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it 29becomes 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 30a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”