1
Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.
2
And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:
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"Listen! A sower went out to sow.
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And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
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Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil;
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and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away.
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Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
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And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
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And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
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And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables.
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And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables;
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so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven."
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And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
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The sower sows the word.
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And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them.
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And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
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and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
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And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word,
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but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
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But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
