Matthew 13
1 On that same day, after Jesus had left the house, he took his seat on the seashore;
On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
2 and such a great crowd gathered about him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the crowd stood on the beach.
A very large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.
3 Then he told them many truths in parables. "Behold," he said, "the sower went forth to sow;
Then Jesus said many things to them in parables. He said, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow seed.
4 and as he sowed, some seed fell by the roadside, and the birds came and ate it.
As he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured them.
5 Some fell on rocky ground where there was not much earth. Now because it had no depth of soil, it sprang up at once;
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil. Immediately they sprang up, because the soil had no depth.
6 but when the sun rose it was scorched, and withered away because it had no root.
But when the sun had risen, they were scorched because they had no root, and they withered away.
7 Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it.
Other seeds fell among the thorn plants. The thorn plants grew up and choked them.
8 But some fell on good soil, and bore a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.
9 He who has ears, let him hear!"
He who has ears, let him listen.”
10 Now when his disciples came up to him, they said,
The disciples came and said to Jesus, “Why do you talk to the crowd in parables?”
11 "Why do you speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered. "To you it has been granted to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; but to them it has not been granted.
Jesus answered and said to them, “You have been given the privilege of understanding mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 "For whoever holds, to him shall more be given, and he shall have abundance; but whoever does not hold, from him shall be taken away even what he holds.
For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13 "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
This is why I talk to them in parables: Though they are seeing, they do not see; and though they are hearing, they do not hear, or understand.
14 And in them is being fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah which says. "Hearing you will hear and not understand; Seeing you will see and not perceive;
To them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, that which says, 'While hearing you will hear, but you will in no way understand; while seeing you will see, but you will in no way perceive.
15 For the heart of his people is made fat, Their ears are dull of hearing; Their eyes, too, have they closed, Lest some day their eyes should perceive, And their ears should hear, And their heart should understand and turn, And I should heal them.
For this people's heart has become dull, and they are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, so they should not see with their eyes, or hear with their ears, or understand with their hearts, so they would turn again, and I would heal them.'
16 "But happy are your eyes, because they see, and your ears because they hear.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
17 "In solemn truth I tell you that many prophets and holy men have seen it not, and to hear what you are hearing, and have not heard it.
Truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things that you see, and did not see them. They desired to hear the things that you hear, and did not hear them.
18 "Listen then, to the parable of the sower.
Listen then to the parable of the farmer who sowed his seed.
19 "Whenever any one hears the message of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the seed that was sown beside the road.
20 "This is the seed sown by the wayside. And the word, and at once receives it with joy.
What was sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
21 "But he has no root in himself; he continues for a time, but when trouble arises, or persecutions, on account of the word, at once he stumbles and falls.
yet he has no root in himself and he endures for a while. When tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, he quickly falls away.
22 "And the seed sown among thorns is he who hears the word, but the anxieties of the age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
What was sown among the thorn plants, this is the person who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. (aiōn g165)
23 "But the seed sown in good soil is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit, and makes now an hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty."
What was sown on the good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands it. He bears fruit and makes a crop, some yielding one hundred times as much as was planted, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”
24 He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven," he said, "is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
Jesus presented another parable to them. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 "but while men were asleep his enemy came and sowed tares among his wheat and went away.
But while people slept, his enemy came and also sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away.
26 "And when the blade shot up and formed the wheat-kernel, then the tares also appeared.
When the blades sprouted and then produced their crop, then the weeds appeared also.
27 "The slaves of the owner went to him and said. "‘Was it not good seed, sir, that you sowed in your field? From whence then, do you get tares?’
The servants of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How does it now have weeds?'
28 "‘It is an enemy who has done this,’ he answered. "The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and collect them?’
He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'So do you want us to go and pull them out?'
29 "‘No,’ he answered, ‘for fear lest while you are collecting the tares, you at the same time pull up the wheat.
The landowner said, 'No. Because while you are pulling out the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them.
30 "Let both grow together until harvest, and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to first gather the tares and tie them in bundles for burning, but to bring all the wheat into my store-house.’"
Let both grow together until the harvest. At the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First pull out the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”'”
31 He set forth to them another parable, saying. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard-seed which a man took and planted in his field.
Then Jesus presented another parable to them. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field.
32 "This is indeed the smallest of seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than any herb, and becomes a tree, so that the winged things of the sky come and roost in its branches."
This seed is indeed the smallest of all seeds. But when it has grown, it is greater than the garden plants. It becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was leavened."
Jesus then told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”
34 Jesus told all this to the crowd in parables; indeed he never spoke to them except in parables,
All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; and he said nothing to them without a parable.
35 in fulfilment of the word spoken by the prophet, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things kept secret since the foundation of the world."
This was in order that what had been said through the prophet might come true, when he said, “I will open my mouth in parables. I will say things that were hidden from the foundation of the world.”
36 After he had sent the people away and gone into the house, his disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable about the weeds in the field."
Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37 "The sower of the seed," he answered, "is the Son of man;
Jesus answered and said, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 "the field is the world; the good seed is the sons of the kingdom; the weeds, the sons of the Evil One.
The field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39 "The enemy who sows the weeds is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age. The reapers are the angels. (aiōn g165)
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. (aiōn g165)
40 "Just as the weeds are collected together and burnt with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. (aiōn g165)
Therefore, as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. (aiōn g165)
41 "The son of man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all hindrances, and whoever practises iniquity,
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all the things that cause sin and those who commit iniquity.
42 "and will throw them into the fiery furnace. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
43 "And then shall the just shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears to hear, listen!
Then will the righteous people shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him listen.
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in the ground, which a man finds but buries again, and then in his joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that land.
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it and hid it. In his joy he goes, sells everything he possesses, and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of beautiful pearls.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a merchant looking for valuable pearls.
46 "When he finds one of great price, he goes and sells everything he has and buys it.
When he found one pearl of very great value, he went and sold everything that he possessed and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and that gathered creatures of every kind.
48 "When it was full they hauled it upon the beach, and sat down and sorted the good fish into baskets, but threw the worthless fish away.
When it was filled, the fishermen drew it up on the beach. Then they sat down and gathered the good things into containers, but the worthless things they threw away.
49 "So will it be at the end of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the wicked from the righteous, and fling them into the furnace of fire. (aiōn g165)
It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous. (aiōn g165)
50 "There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
51 "Have you understood all this?" he asked. "We have," they answered him.
Have you understood all these things?” The disciples said to him, “Yes.”
52 "Then," said he, "every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storehouse new things and old."
Then Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is the owner of a house, who draws out old and new things from his treasure.”
53 After Jesus had finished these parables, he withdrew from that place,
Then it came about that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from that place.
54 and came into his own country, where he continued teaching the people in their synagogues, until they were amazed. "Where did he get such wisdom?" they said, "and such wondrous powers?
Then Jesus entered his own region and taught the people in their synagogue. The result was that they were astonished and said, “Where does this man get his wisdom and these miracles from?
55 "Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brothers Jamesand Joseph and Simon and Judas?
Is not this man the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? Are not his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
56 "Are not his sisters all living among us? Where, then, did he get all these powers?"
Are not all his sisters with us? Where did he get all these things?”
57 This kept them from believing in him. Wherefore Jesus said, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and among his own family."
They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own family.”
58 And he did no mighty works there, because of their lack of faith.
He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
