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"These are the ones who are beside the roadwhere the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately2Satancomes and takesaway the word which has been sown in them.
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"In a similarwaythese are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediatelyreceive it with joy;
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and they haveno firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when afflictionorpersecutionarisesbecause of the word, immediately they fallaway.
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"And others are the ones on whom seed was sownamong the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
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but the worries of 3the world, and the 4deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for otherthingsenter in and choke the word, and it becomesunfruitful.
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"And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the goodsoil; and they hear the word and accept it and 5bearfruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
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And He was saying to them, "6A lamp is not brought to be putunder a basket, is it, orunder a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
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"7For nothing* is hidden, except to be revealed;nor has anything beensecret, but that it would come to light.
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And He was saying to them, "Takecarewhat you listen to. 9By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
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"10For whoeverhas, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, evenwhat he has shall be takenaway from him."
Parable of the Seed
26 And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like* a man who castsseed upon the soil;
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and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seedsprouts and grows-how, he himself does not know.
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"The soilproducescrops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the maturegrain in the head.
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"But when the croppermits, he immediately11puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
Parable of the Mustard Seed
3012And He said, "How shall we 13picture the kingdom of God, or by whatparable shall we present it?
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"It is like a mustardseed, which, whensown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,
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yetwhen it is sown, it grows up and becomeslarger than all the gardenplants and formslargebranches; so that 14THE BIRDS OF THE AIRcanNESTUNDER ITS SHADE."
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With manysuchparables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it;
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and He did not speak to them 15without a parable; but He was 16explainingeverythingprivately* to His owndisciples.