Matthew, 13

1. That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside,

1. That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.

2. but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the shore,

2. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach.

3. and he told them many things in parables. He said, 'Listen, a sower went out to sow.

3. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow.

4. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up.

4. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

5. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up at once, because there was no depth of earth;

5. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,

6. but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away.

6. but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away.

7. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

7. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

8. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

8. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

9. Anyone who has ears should listen!'

9. He who has ears, let him hear."

10. Then the disciples went up to him and asked, 'Why do you talk to them in parables?'

10. Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

11. In answer, he said, 'Because to you is granted to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not granted.

11. And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

12. Anyone who has will be given more and will have more than enough; but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has.

12. For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

13. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.

13. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14. So in their case what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah is being fulfilled: Listen and listen, but never understand! Look and look, but never perceive!

14. With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: `You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.

15. This people's heart has grown coarse, their ears dulled, they have shut their eyes tight to avoid using their eyes to see, their ears to hear, their heart to understand, changing their ways and being healed by me.

15. For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'

16. 'But blessed are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear!

16. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

17. In truth I tell you, many prophets and upright people longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.

17. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

18. 'So pay attention to the parable of the sower.

18. "Hear then the parable of the sower.

19. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the Evil One comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the seed sown on the edge of the path.

19. When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path.

20. The seed sown on patches of rock is someone who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy.

20. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

21. But such a person has no root deep down and does not last; should some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, at once he falls away.

21. yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

22. The seed sown in thorns is someone who hears the word, but the worry of the world and the lure of riches choke the word and so it produces nothing.

22. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

23. And the seed sown in rich soil is someone who hears the word and understands it; this is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.'

23. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

24. He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

24. Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field;

25. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.

25. but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

26. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, then the darnel appeared as well.

26. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.

27. The owner's labourers went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?"

27. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?'

28. He said to them, "Some enemy has done this." And the labourers said, "Do you want us to go and weed it out?"

28. He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?'

29. But he said, "No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it.

29. But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.

30. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn." '

30. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

31. He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field.

31. Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;

32. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air can come and shelter in its branches.'

32. it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

33. He told them another parable, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.'

33. He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."

34. In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables.

34. All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable.

35. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: I will speak to you in parables, unfold what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.

35. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."

36. Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable about the darnel in the field.'

36. Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."

37. He said in reply, 'The sower of the good seed is the Son of man.

37. He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;

38. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the Evil One;

38. the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one,

39. the enemy who sowed it, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels.

39. and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.

40. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time.

40. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.

41. The Son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of falling and all who do evil,

41. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,

42. and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

42. and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.

43. Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Anyone who has ears should listen!

43. Then the righteous will shine 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 someone has found; he hides it again, goes off in his joy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.

44. "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45. 'Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls;

45. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,

46. when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.

46. who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47. 'Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that is cast in the sea and brings in a haul of all kinds of fish.

47. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;

48. When it is full, the fishermen bring it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in baskets and throw away those that are no use.

48. when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.

49. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the upright,

49. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous,

50. to throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

50. and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.

51. 'Have you understood all these?' They said, 'Yes.'

51. "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes."

52. And he said to them, 'Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old.'

52. And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

53. When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district;

53. And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,

54. and, coming to his home town, he taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, 'Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?

54. and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

55. This is the carpenter's son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude?

55. Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

56. His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?'

56. And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?"

57. And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is despised only in his own country and in his own house,'

57. And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."

58. and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

58. And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.