1 Soon afterward he went on 1through cities and villages, proclaiming and 2bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,
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and also 3some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: 4Mary, called Magdalene, 5from whom seven demons had gone out,
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and 6Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them[a] out of their means.
The Parable of the Sower
47And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:
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8"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.
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And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, 9it withered away, because it had no moisture.
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And some fell among 10thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.
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And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded 11a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, 12"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
The Purpose of the Parables
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,
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he said, 13"To you it has been given to know 14the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so 15that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'
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16Now the parable is this: The seed is 17the word of God.
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The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not 18believe and be saved.
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And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it 19with joy. But these have no root; they 20believe for a while, and in time of testing 21fall away.
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And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but 22as they go on their way they are choked by the 23cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
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As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and 24bear fruit 25with patience.
A Lamp Under a Jar
16"No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
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26For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
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27Take care then how you hear, 28for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."