4:1 · Again Jesus began to teach beside the lake. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there out on the lake while all the people were on shore by the edge of the water. ·
4:2 And he taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said to them: ·
4:4 And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and birds came · and ate it up.
4:5 · Other seed fell on · rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up right away because · it had no depth of soil.
4:6 · When the sun came up, the plant was scorched, and because · it did not have a root, it withered away.
4:7 · Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it did not produce grain.
4:8 But other seed fell into · good soil · and produced grain, sprouting, · growing, and bearing thirty, · sixty, and even a hundredfold.”
4:9 And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him listen!”
4:10 · When he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
4:11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those · outside, everything is in parables, ·
4:12 so that ‘when they look, they may see yet not perceive, and when they listen, they may hear yet not understand; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
4:13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand · this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?
4:15 These · are the ones on the path where the word is sown: · whenever they hear, Satan immediately comes · and carries off the word that was sown in them.
4:16 · These are the ones sown on · rocky ground: whenever they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.
4:17 But they have no root in themselves and last for only a limited time. Then, when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.
4:18 · Others are the ones sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word,
4:19 but the cares of the world, · the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for · many other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes barren.
4:20 · These are the ones sown on · good soil: · they hear the word, · accept it, and bear fruit—thirty, · sixty, and even a hundredfold.”
4:21 And he said to them, “A lamp is not brought · to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Is it not to be put on a lampstand?
4:22 For nothing is hidden except to be disclosed; nor is anything concealed, except to come to light.
4:24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By what measure you measure it will be measured out to you, and more will be added to you.
4:25 For whoever has, more will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he does have will be taken away from him.”
4:26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters · seed on the ground.
4:27 · He goes to bed and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, although he does not know how.
4:28 The soil produces a crop all by itself: first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.
4:29 And when the grain is ripe, immediately he sends in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
4:30 Then he said, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?
4:31 It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is smaller than all of the seeds · on · earth.
4:32 Yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air are able to nest in · its shade.”
4:33 So with many parables such as these he spoke the word to them, as they were able to understand.
4:34 And without a parable he did not speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he would explain everything.
4:35 · On that same day, when evening had come, he said to them, · “Let us go over to the other side.”
4:36 So after leaving the crowd, they took him with them, just as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him.
4:37 Now a fierce windstorm arose and the waves began to break into the boat, so that the boat was now filling.
4:38 But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. · They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
4:39 So he got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be still! Settle down!” Then the wind died down and there was a great calm.
4:40 And he said to them, “Why are you so fearful? Have you still no faith?”
4:41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
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