1 ON that day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake.
2 Great crowds gathered to him so that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the crowd stood on the shore.
3 He spoke at length to them in illustrations. "A sower," he said, "went out to sow.
4 And as he was sowing some seeds fell at the roadside and the birds came and ate them up.
5 Others fell on rocky places where they had not much soil, and at once they sprang up because they had no depth of soil.
6 But when the sun rose they were scorched, and because they had no roots they withered.
7 Others fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8 Others fell on good ground and made a yield, some of a hundred fold, some of sixty fold, some of thirty fold.
9 He who has ears, let him hear."
10 Then his disciples came to him and said, "Why do you talk to them in figures of speech?"
11 He answered, "Because to you it is granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those people it is not granted.
12 For whoever has, to him will be given and he will have abundance. But whoever has not, from him will be taken even what he has.
13 For this reason I speak to them in figures, because, though they see, they do not see, and though they hear, they do not hear nor understand,
14 and to them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: 'You will plainly hear, but you will not understand, and you will clearly look, but you will not see.
15 For the heart of these people has grown fat, and with their ears they are dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed; so that they may not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and repent and I should heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
17 I tell you truly many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things you see, but they did not see them, and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.
18 So listen to the story of the sower:
19 When 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. This is the man who receives seed by the roadside.
20 He who received seed on stony ground is he who bears the word and receives it at once with joy,
21 yet has no root in himself, but is inconstant, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the message he stumbles and falls.
22 He who received seed among thorns is he who hears the message, but the care of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the message and it becomes fruitless.
23 He who received seed in good ground is he who hears the message and understands it and makes a yield of a hundred, or sixty, or thirty fold."
24 Another illustration he put before them. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while people were sleeping his enemy came and sowed weeds through the wheat, and went away.
26 When the blades shot up and formed grain, the weeds also appeared.
27 Then the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where do the weeds come from?'
28 He replied, 'An enemy did this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?'
29 He said, 'No, for in gathering up the weeds you might pull up the wheat along with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At the time of harvest I will say to the harvesters, Gather up first the weeds and tie them into bundles for burning, but bring the wheat into my granary.' "
31 Another illustration he put before them. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It is the least of all the seeds, but when it grows up it is greater than the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and live in its branches."
33 Another illustration he spoke to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened."
34 All of these things Jesus spoke to them in illustrations, and without an illustration he spoke nothing to them,
35 to fulfill the words of the prophet when he said, "I will open my mouth in illustrations, I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world."
36 Then leaving the crowds he came into the house, and his disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the illustration of the weeds of the field."
37 He replied, "He who sows the good seeds is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the Evil One.
39 The enemy that sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The reapers are angels.
40 As the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the world.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather up from his kingdom all stumbling-blocks and those who practice lawlessness,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then will the righteous shine out like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man finds and hides again, and for joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
46 Having found one very precious pearl he went away and sold everything that he had and bought it.
47 "Again the kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the lake that gathered up every sort.
48 But when it was filled they drew it to the beach and sat down and gathered the good into pails, but threw the worthless away.
49 So will it be at the end of the world. The angels will come forth and will separate the wicked from among the righteous
50 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
51 Have you understood all these things?" They said, "Yes."
52 He said to them, "Therefore every scribe educated in the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a householder who brings out from his storehouse new things and old things."
53 When Jesus had finished these illustrations, he went away from that place.
54 Then he came to his native place and taught them in their synagogue so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles?
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56 And his sisters \'97 are they not all here with us? Where then did he get all this?"
57 So they fell into mistake about him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house."
58 Because of their unbelief he worked there but few miracles.