Mark 4:2-33

2He began teaching them many things by parables, and in His teaching, He said to them:

3“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to spread some seed.

4It happened that as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and the birds came and ate it up.

5“Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it didn’t have much soil. It sprang up immediately, because the soil wasn’t deep.

6But when the sun came up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7“Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8“And others fell into the good soil and were producing fruit, springing up and increasing. They yielded a crop, producing thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

9And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10When Yeshua was alone, those around Him with the Twelve started asking Him about the parables.

11And He told them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those who are outside, everything is in parables, so that

12‘Seeing, they may see and not perceive, and hearing, they may hear and not understand, so they may not turn back and be forgiven.’”

13He said to them, “Don’t you grasp this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?

14The sower sows the word.

15These are the ones beside the road where the word is sown. Whenever they hear, satan comes quickly and takes away the word that has been sown in them.

16“These are the ones sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.

17And they have no root in themselves but last only a short while. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.

18“And others are the ones sown among the thorns. They have heard the word;

19but the worries of the world, the seduction of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20“And those are the ones sown on the good soil. They hear the word and accept it and produce fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

21He also was saying to them, “Is a lamp put under a basket or a bed? No, shouldn’t it be placed on a lampstand?

22For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything kept secret except that it would come to light.

23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24Then He continued, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you; and more will be added to you.

25For whoever has, to him more will be given. And whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

26And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like when a man spreads seed on the soil

27and falls asleep at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows. He himself doesn’t know how.

28Automatically, the earth brings forth a crop—first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head.

29But when the grain is ready, at once he sends in the sickle, for the harvest has come.”

30Yeshua also said, “How should we picture the kingdom of God? Or by what story shall we present it?

31It is like a mustard seed when it’s planted in the ground. Though the smallest of all seeds in the earth, yet when planted it grows up and becomes the largest of all the herbs.

32It puts forth big branches, so the birds of the air can nest in its shade.”

33With many such parables He used to tell them the word, as much as they were able to hear.