Mark 4:22-32

22 "¹For nothing * is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.

23 "²If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

24 And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. ³By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.

25 "⁴For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

Parable of the Seed

26 And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like * a man who casts seed upon the soil;

27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows -how, he himself does not know.

28 "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.

29 "But when the crop permits, he immediately ⁵puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 ⁶And He said, "How shall we ⁷picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?

31 "It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,

32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that ⁸THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE."

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 10:26; Luke 8:17; Luke 12:2
• 2. Matthew 11:15; Revelation 13:9, 43">Revelation 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; Luke 14:35; Rev 3:6, 13, 22; Revelation 13:9
• 3. Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:38
• 4. Matthew 13:12; Matthew 25:29; Luke 8:18; Luke 19:26
• 5. Joel 3:13
• 6. Mark 4:30-32: {Matthew 13:31, 32; Luke 13:18, 19}
• 7. Matthew 13:24
• 8. Ezekiel 17:23; Psalms 104:12; Ezekiel 31:6; Daniel 4:12

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "By what measure you measure"
• [b] Lit "sends forth"
• [c] Lit "compare"
• [d] Or "sky"