The Gospel According to Mark

And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,

"Listen [to this]! Behold, the sower went out to sow;

and it came about that as he was sowing, some [seed] fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

"And other [seed] fell on the rocky [ground] where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.

"And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

"And other [seed] fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

"And other [seeds] fell into the good soil and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, [began] asking Him [about] the parables.

And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables,

in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven."

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?

"The sower sows the word.

"And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

"And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky [places,] who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;

and they have no [firm] root in themselves, but are [only] temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

"And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

"And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck-measure, is it, or under a bed? Is it not [brought] to be put on the lampstand?

"For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has [anything] been secret, but that it should come to light.

"If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."

And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it shall be measured to you; and more shall be given you besides.

"For whoever has, to him shall [more] be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;

and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows, how, he himself does not know.

"The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.

"But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?

"[It is] like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,

yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade."

And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them as they were able to hear it;

and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

And on that day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side."

And leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him.

And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

And He said to them, "Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?"

And they became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"