Mark 4

1 And again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very great crowd gathers to him, so that he got into a boat and sat in the sea, and the whole crowd was on the land facing the sea. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in his teaching:

3 “Listen. Look, the sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened as he sowed, some fell along the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 And other fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and at once it sprang up because the soil had no depth; 6 and when the sun rose it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered. 7 And other fell into the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it gave no fruit. 8 And others fell into the good ground, and were giving fruit, coming up and growing, and were bearing one thirty and one sixty and one a hundred.” 9 And he was saying, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve were asking him about the parables. 11 And he was saying to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God; but to those outside everything comes in parables, [a]

13 And he says to them, “Do you not know this parable? And how will you know all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the road where the word is sown: when they hear, at once Satan comes and takes away the word that has been sown into them. 16 And these likewise are the ones sown on the rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, at once receive it with joy, 17 and they have no root in themselves but last only a season; then when affliction or persecution comes because of the word, at once they are made to stumble. 18 And others are the ones sown into the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 and the anxieties of the age and the deceit of riches and the desires for the other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And those are the ones sown on the good ground, who hear the word and welcome it and bear fruit — one thirty and one sixty and one a hundred.” †

21 And he was saying to them, “Does the lamp come to be put under the measuring bowl or under the bed, and not to be put on the lampstand? [c] 22 For nothing is hidden except so that it may be made visible, nor did anything become concealed except so that it might come out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he was saying to them, “Watch what you hear. With the measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be added to you. [d] 25 For whoever has, it will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

26 And he was saying, “The kingdom of God is like this: as though a man should throw the seed on the ground 27 and sleep and rise, night and day, and the seed sprouts and lengthens — how, he himself does not know. 28 By itself the ground bears fruit — first a blade, then a head, then full grain in the head. 29 But when the fruit permits, at once he sends out the sickle, because the harvest has come.” [e]

30 And he was saying, “How shall we liken the kingdom of God, or in what parable shall we put it? 31 Like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground — [f] 32 and when it is sown, it comes up and becomes greater than all the garden plants and makes great branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”

33 And with many such parables he was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 and without a parable he was not speaking to them, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

35 And he says to them on that day, when evening had come, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd they take him along, as he was, in the boat; and other boats were with him. 37 And a great squall of wind comes, and the waves were beating into the boat, so that the boat was already being filled. 38 And he himself was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion; and they wake him and say to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” †

39 And having woken, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Be silenced!” And the wind died down, and there was a great calm. [g] 40 And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you not yet have faith?” 41 And they feared a great fear, and were saying to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”