Common English Bible CEB
Revised Standard Version RSV
1 Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore.
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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 He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said,
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And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:
3 "Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed.
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"Listen! A sower went out to sow.
4 As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it.
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And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn't deep.
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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;
6 When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots.
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and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away.
7 Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing.
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Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
8 Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one."
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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."
9 He said, "Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!"
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And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
10 When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables.
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And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables.
11 He said to them, “The secret of God's kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in 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;
12 This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven.
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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."
13 "Don't you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?
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And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
14 The farmer scatters the word.
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The sower sows the word.
15 This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path: When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them.
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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.
16 Here's the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground: When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully.
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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;
17 Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away.
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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.
18 Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word;
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And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word,
19 but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.
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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.
20 The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one."
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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."
21 Jesus said to them, "Does anyone bring in a lamp in order to put it under a basket or a bed? Shouldn't it be placed on a lampstand?
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And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand?
22 Everything hidden will be revealed, and everything secret will come out into the open.
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For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.
23 Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!"
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If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."
24 He said to them, "Listen carefully! God will evaluate you with the same standard you use to evaluate others. Indeed, you will receive even more.
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And he said to them, "Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.
25 Those who have will receive more, but as for those who don't have, even what they don't have will be taken away from them."
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For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
26 Then Jesus said, "This is what God's kingdom is like. It's as though someone scatters seed on the ground,
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And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground,
27 then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn't know how.
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and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how.
28 The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain.
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The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29 Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it's harvesttime."
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But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
30 He continued, "What's a good image for God's kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it?
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And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
31 Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it's the smallest of all the seeds on the earth;
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It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;
32 but when it's planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade."
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yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
33 With many such parables he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear.
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With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;
34 He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them.
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he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
35 Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, "Let's cross over to the other side of the lake."
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On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."
36 They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.
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And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
37 Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped.
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And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
38 But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, "Teacher, don't you care that we're drowning?"
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But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?"
39 He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, "Silence! Be still!" The wind settled down and there was a great calm.
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And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 Jesus asked them, "Why are you frightened? Don't you have faith yet?"
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He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"
41 Overcome with awe, they said to each other, "Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"
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And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?"
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.