Parallel Bible results for "mark 4"

Mark 4

New Revised Standard NRS

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.

2 He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:

3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow.

4 And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil.

6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away.

7 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 brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

9 And he said, "Let anyone with ears to hear listen!"

10 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables.

11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables;

12 in order that "they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.' "

13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?

14 The sower sows the word.

15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.

17 But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

18 And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word,

19 but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing.

20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

21 He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand?

22 For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.

23 Let anyone with ears to hear listen!"

24 And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.

25 For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."

26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,

27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.

28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.

29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come."

30 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it?

31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;

32 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 spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;

34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."

36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.

37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.

40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"

41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

The Message Bible MSG

1 He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water's edge.

2 He taught by using stories, many stories.

3 "Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed.

4 As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it.

5 Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots,

6 so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly.

7 Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it.

8 Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.

9 "Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

10 When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories.

11 He told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom - you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight.

12 These are people - Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing, Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."

13 He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.

14 "The farmer plants the Word.

15 Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.

16 "And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm.

17 But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

18 "The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news

19 but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

20 "But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

21 Jesus went on: "Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don't you put it up on a table or on the mantel?

22 We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open.

23 "Are you listening to this? Really listening?

24 "Listen carefully to what I am saying - and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way.

25 Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes."

26 Then Jesus said, "God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man

27 who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows - he has no idea how it happens.

28 The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain.

29 When the grain is fully formed, he reaps - harvest time!

30 "How can we picture God's kingdom? What kind of story can we use?

31 It's like a pine nut. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go,

32 yet once it is planted it grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it."

33 With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity.

34 He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.

35 Late that day he said to them, "Let's go across to the other side."

36 They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came along.

37 A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it.

38 And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, "Teacher, is it nothing to you that we're going down?"

39 Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, "Quiet! Settle down!" The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass.

40 Jesus reprimanded the disciples: "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?"

41 They were in absolute awe, staggered. "Who is this, anyway?" they asked. "Wind and sea at his beck and call!"