Mark 4
1 Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
Once more He began to teach by the side of the Lake, and a vast multitude of people came together to listen to Him. He therefore went on board the boat and sat there, a little way from the land; and all the people were on the shore close to the water.
2 He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
Then He proceeded to teach them many lessons in figurative language; and in His teaching He said,
3 “Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow.
"Listen: the sower goes out to sow.
4 As he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
As he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and the birds come and peck it up.
5 Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
Some falls on the rocky ground where it finds but little earth, and it shoots up quickly because it has no depth of soil;
6 When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
but when the sun is risen, it is scorched, and through having no root it withers away.
7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Some, again, falls among the thorns; and the thorns spring up and stifle it, so that it yields no crop.
8 Others fell into the good ground and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.”
But some of the seed falls into good ground, and gives a return: it comes up and increases, and yields thirty, sixty, or a hundred-fold."
9 He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
"Listen," He added, "every one who has ears to listen with!"
10 When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
When He was alone, the Twelve and the others who were about Him requested Him to explain His figurative language.
11 He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,
"To you," He replied, "has been entrusted the secret truth concerning the Kingdom of God; but to those others outside your number all this is spoken in figurative language;
12 that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’”
that "'They may look and look but not see, and listen and listen but not understand, lest perchance they should return and be pardoned.'"
13 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
"Do you all miss the meaning of this parable?" He added; "how then will you understand the rest of my parables?"
14 The farmer sows the word.
"What the sower sows is the Message.
15 The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
Those who receive the seed by the way-side are those in whom the Message is sown, but, when they have heard it, Satan comes at once and carries away the Message sown in them.
16 These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.
In the same way those who receive the seed on the rocky places are those who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully,
17 They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
but they have no root within them. They last for a time; then, when suffering or persecution comes because of the Message, they are immediately overthrown.
18 Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,
Others there are who receive the seed among the thorns: these are they who have heard the Message,
19 and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
but worldly cares and the deceitfulness of wealth and the excessive pursuit of other objects come in and stifle the Message, and it becomes unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
20 Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”
Those, on the other hand, who have received the seed on the good ground, are all who hear the Message and welcome it, and yield a return of thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold."
21 He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand?
He went on to say, "Is the lamp brought in in order to be put under the bushel or under the bed? Is it not rather in order that it may be placed on the lampstand?
22 For there is nothing hidden except that it should be made known, neither was anything made secret but that it should come to light.
Why, there is nothing hidden except with a view to its being ultimately disclosed, nor has anything been made a secret but that it may at last come to light.
23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!"
24 He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you; and more will be given to you who hear.
He also said to them, "Take care what you hear. With what measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and that with interest.
25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; and he who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.”
For those who have will have more given them; and from those who have not, even what they have will be taken away."
26 He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
Another saying of His was this: "The Kingdom of God is as if a man scattered seed over the ground:
27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how.
he spends days and nights, now awake, now asleep, while the seed sprouts and grows tall, he knows not how.
28 For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
Of itself the land produces the crop-- first the blade, then the ear; afterwards the perfect grain is seen in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
But no sooner is the crop ripe, than he sends the reapers, because the time of harvest has come."
30 He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
Another saying of His was this: "How are we to picture the Kingdom of God? or by what figure of speech shall we represent it?
31 It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
It is like a mustard-seed, which, when sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds in the world;
32 yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”
yet when sown it springs up and becomes larger than all the herbs, and throws out great branches, so that the birds build under its shadow."
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
With many such parables He used to speak the Message to them according to their capacity for receiving it.
34 Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
But except in figurative language He spoke nothing to them; while to His own disciples He expounded everything, in private.
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.”
The same day, in the evening, He said to them, "Let us cross to the other side."
36 Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him.
So they got away from the crowd, and took Him--as He was--in the boat; and other boats accompanied Him.
37 A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.
But a heavy squall came on, and the waves were now dashing into the boat, so that it was fast filling.
38 He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”
But He Himself was in the stern asleep, with His head on the cushion: so they woke Him. "Rabbi," they cried, "is it nothing to you that we are drowning?"
39 He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was a great calm.
So He roused Himself and rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" The wind sank, and a perfect calm set in.
40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
"Why are you so timid?" He asked; "have you still no faith?"
41 They were greatly afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Then they were filled with terror, and began to say to one another, "Who is this, then? For even wind and sea obey Him."
