Matthew 13:4-23

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 1among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a 2hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. 93The one who has ears, 4let him hear.”

10And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11And 5Jesus answered them, “6To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 127For 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 8seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14And 9in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘1011You shall keep on listening, 12but shall not understand; And 13you shall keep on looking, 14but shall not perceive;1515For 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.’ 1616But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17For truly I say to you that 17many 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“18Listen then to the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears 19the 20word of the kingdom and does not understand it, 21the 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 22word, immediately he 2324falls away. 22And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of 25the 26world and the 27deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it 28becomes 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 29a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”