Mark 4:3-29
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 4
3Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.' 9And He was saying, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'
10As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve disciples, began asking Him about the parables.
11And He was saying to them, 'To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but for those who are outside, everything comes in parables,
12so that WHILE SEEING THEY MAY SEE, AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR, AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND IT WOULD BE FORGIVEN THEM.'
13And He *said to them, 'Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
14The sower sows the word.
15These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16And in a similar way these are the ones sown with seed on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
17and yet they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they fall away.
18And others are the ones sown with seed among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.'
21And He was saying to them, 'A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, or under a bed, is it? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
22For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.'
24And He was saying to them, 'Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
25For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.'
26And He was saying, 'The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;
27and he goes to bed at night and gets up daily, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.
28The soil produces crops by itself; first the stalk, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.
29Now when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.'
King James Version
Chapter 4
3Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable and how then will ye know all parables
14The sower soweth the word.
15And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
21And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed and not to be set on a candlestick
22For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 4
3"Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep. 6When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. 8Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times." 9Then he said, "Let anyone who has ears to hear listen."
10When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve, asked him about the parables.
11He answered them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables
13Then he said to them: "Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables?
14The sower sows the word.
15Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.
16And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.
17But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.
18Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word,
19but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown."
21He also said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?
22For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.
23If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen."
24And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and more will be added to you.
25For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
26"The kingdom of God is like this," he said. "A man scatters seed on the ground.
27He sleeps and rises night and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how.
28The soil produces a crop by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head.
29As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come."
New Living Translation
Chapter 4
3Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. 5Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. 7Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. 8Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!' 9Then he said, 'Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.'
13Then Jesus said to them, 'If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?
14The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others.
15The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.
16The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.
17But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.
18The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word,
19but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.
20And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!'
21Then Jesus asked them, 'Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.
22For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.
23Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.'
24Then he added, 'Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given — and you will receive even more.
25To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.'
26Jesus also said, 'The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.
27Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens.
28The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.
29And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.'
English Standard Version
Chapter 4
3"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." 9And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
10And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
11And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,
12so that "‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’"
13And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
14The sower sows the word.
15And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
17And 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.
18And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,
19but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
21And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?
22For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.
23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
24And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.
25For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
26And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.
27He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.
28The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
New International Version
Chapter 4
3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times."
10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
13Then Jesus said to them, "Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
14The farmer sows the word.
15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown."
21He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?
22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
23If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear."
24"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.
25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."
26He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
28All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."
New King James Version
Chapter 4
3“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
10But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.
11And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,
13And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
14The sower sows the word.
15And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
18Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,
19and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
21Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?
22For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.
25For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
26And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
27and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
28For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
29But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
