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and fulfilled on them is the prophecy of Isaiah, that saith, With hearing ye shall hear, and ye shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and ye shall not perceive,
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for made gross was the heart of this people, and with the ears they heard heavily, and their eyes they did close, lest they might see with the eyes, and with the ears might hear, and with the heart understand, and turn back, and I might heal them.
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`And happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear,
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for verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men did desire to see that which ye look on, and they did not see, and to hear that which ye hear, and they did not hear.
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`Ye, therefore, hear ye the simile of the sower:
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Every one hearing the word of the reign, and not understanding -- the evil one doth come, and doth catch that which hath been sown in his heart; this is that sown by the way.
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`And that sown on the rocky places, this is he who is hearing the word, and immediately with joy is receiving it,
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and he hath not root in himself, but is temporary, and persecution or tribulation having happened because of the word, immediately he is stumbled.
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`And that sown toward the thorns, this is he who is hearing the word, and the anxiety of this age, and the deceitfulness of the riches, do choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
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`And that sown on the good ground: this is he who is hearing the word, and is understanding, who indeed doth bear fruit, and doth make, some indeed a hundredfold, and some sixty, and some thirty.'
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Another simile he set before them, saying: `The reign of the heavens was likened to a man sowing good seed in his field,