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and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
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and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who ministered unto Him from their substance.
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And when many people had gathered together and had come to Him out of every city, He spoke by a parable:
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"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
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And some fell upon a rock, and as soon as it had sprung up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.
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And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
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And other fell on good ground, and sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold." And when He had said these things, He cried, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!"
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And His disciples asked Him, saying, "What might this parable mean?"
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And He said, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; but to others in parables, that `seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.'
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Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God.
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Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil and taketh away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.