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MARK 4
D. Parables of the Kingdom of God
1. The Parable of the Sower

1. And again He began to teach beside the sea, and a very great crowd was gathered unto Him, so that He stepped into a boat in the sea and sat down, and all the crowd was on the land, facing the sea.
2. And He taught them many things in parables and said to them in His teaching:
3. Listen! Behold, the sower went out to sow.
4. And as he sowed, some seed fell beside the way, and the birds came and devoured it.
5. And other seed fell on the rocky place, where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.
6. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered.
7. And other seed fell into the thorns, and the thorns came up and utterly choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8. And others fell into the good earth and yielded fruit, coming up and growing; and one bore thirtyfold, and one sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold.
9. And He said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
10. And when He was alone, those around Him, with the twelve, asked Him about the parables.
11. And He said to them, To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those outside, all things are in parables,
12. In order that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.
13. And He said to them, Do you not know this parable? And how will you know all the parables?
14. The sower sows the word.
15. And these are the ones beside the way, where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown into them.
16. And likewise, these are the ones being sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
17. Yet they have no root in themselves, but last only for a time; then when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.
18. And others are the ones being sown into the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19. And the anxieties of the age and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts for other things enter in and utterly choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20. And these are the ones sown on the good earth: those who hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirtyfold, and one sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold.

2. The Parable of the Lamp

21. And He said to them, Does the lamp come so that it may be placed under the bushel or under the bed? Does it not come that it may be placed on the lampstand?
22. For nothing is hidden except that it may be manifested, nor has anything become concealed but that it may come into the open.
23. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
24. And He said to them, Take heed what you hear. With what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you, and it shall be added to you.
25. For he who has, it shall be given to him; and he who does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

3. The Parable of the Seed

26. And He said, So is the kingdom of God: as if a man cast seed on the earth,
27. And sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and lengthens how, he does not know.
28. The earth bears fruit by itself: first a blade, then an ear, then full grain in the ear.
29. But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he sends forth the sickle, because the harvest has come.

4. The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30. And He said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God, or in what parable shall we present it?
31. It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the earth, is smaller than all the seeds on the earth.
32. And when it is sown, it comes up and becomes greater than all the herbs and produces great branches, so that the birds of heaven can roost under its shade.
33. And in many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear;
34. And without a parable He did not speak to them; but privately to His own disciples He explained all things.