1
Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.
2
He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
3
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.
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As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.
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Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
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But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died.
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Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.
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Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
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Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”