Mark 4

And again, he began to teach beside the sea, and the largest crowd is gathered to him. As a result, having gotten into a boat, he sat down on the sea, and the whole crowd was on the land beside the sea.

And he was teaching them many things in parables, and he was saying to them in his teaching, \*

“Listen! Behold, the sower went out to sow.

And it happened that as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured it.

And other fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it did not have deep soil. \*

And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered.

And other fell into the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it did not give fruit. \*

And others fell on the good soil, and it was giving fruit, growing up and being increased, and one was bearing 30, and one, 60, and one, 100.”

And he was saying, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!” \*

And when he was alone, the ones around him with the Twelve were asking him about the parables.

And he was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those, the ones outside, everything is in parables,

so that, ‘Looking, they may look but may not see, and hearing, they may hear but may not understand, lest they might turn back, and it might be forgiven to them.’” \*

And he says to them, “Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?

The sower sows the word.

Now these are the ones beside the road, where the word is being sown, but whenever they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. \*

And similarly, these are the ones being sown on the rocky ground, who, whenever they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy,

and they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Then, tribulation or persecution having happened because of the word, immediately they are caused to stumble. \*

And others are the ones being sown into the thorns. These are the ones having heard the word,

and the worries of the age and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires concerning other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

And those are the ones sown on the good soil, who hear the word and receive it and bear fruit—one, 30, and one, 60, and one, 100.” \*

And he was saying to them, “The lamp does not come so that it might be put under the basket or under the bed, does it? Is it not so that it might be put on the lampstand?

For it is not hidden except so that it might be revealed, nor has it become secret except so that it might come into visibility.

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” \*

And he was saying to them, “Watch what you hear. With the measure by which you measure, it will be measured to you, and it will be added to you.

For he who has, it will be given to him, and he who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” \*

And he was saying, “Thus is the kingdom of God: As a man throws the seed on the ground,

and he sleeps and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.

The soil produces a crop of its own accord: first a blade, then a head, then a mature grain in the head.

And whenever the fruit hands over, he immediately sends the sickle, because the harvest has come.” \*

And he was saying, “How will we compare the kingdom of God, or in what parable will we put it?

{It is} like a mustard seed, which, when it has been sown in the soil, being the smallest of all the seeds on the earth,

and when it has been sown, it grows and becomes greater than all the vegetable plants, and it makes large branches, so that the birds of the sky are able to nest in its shadow.” \*

And with many such parables he was speaking the word to them, just as they were able to hear;

but he was not speaking to them without a parable, but by himself he was explaining everything to his own disciples. \*

And he says to them on that day, evening having come, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

And having left the crowd, they take him with {them}, as he was, in the boat, and other boats were with him.

And a great storm of wind happens, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filled. \*

And he himself was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. And they wake him up and say to him, “Teacher, is it not a concern to you that we are perishing?”

And awaking, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Be silent! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. \*

And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you not yet have faith?”

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?” \*