Mark 4
4
1Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea. 2He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching, 3“Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow. 4As he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds#4:4 TR adds “of the air” came and devoured it. 5Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil. 6When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8Others fell into the good ground and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.” 9He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables, 12that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’”#Isaiah 6:9-10
13He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables? 14The farmer sows the word. 15The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble. 18Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word, 19and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”
21He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket #4:21 literally, a modion, a dry measuring basket containing about a peck (about 9 liters) or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand? 22For there is nothing hidden except that it should be made known, neither was anything made secret but that it should come to light. 23If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you; and more will be given to you who hear. 25For whoever has, to him more will be given; and he who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.”
26He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, 27and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how. 28For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it? 31It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, 32yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”
33With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
35On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him. 37A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled. 38He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”
39He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
41They were greatly afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
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Mark 4: WEBUS
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Mark 4
4
The Parable of the Sower
1 And again he began to teach beside the sea,#That is, the Sea of Galilee and a very large crowd was gathered to him, so that he got into a boat and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“got”) has been translated as a finite verb sat on the sea, and the whole crowd was at the sea on the land. 2And he began to teach#The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to teach”) them many things in parables, and was saying to them in his teaching, 3“Listen! Behold, the sower went out to sow. 4And it happened that while he was sowing, some seed#Literally “some of which” fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once, because it did not have any depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have enough root, it withered. 7And other seed fell among the thorn plants, and the thorn plants came up and choked it, and it did not produce grain.#Literally “fruit,” describing here the grain harvested from the healthy plants; in contemporary English this would more naturally be expressed by terms like “grain” or “crop” 8And other seed fell on the good soil, and produced grain,#Literally “fruit,” describing here the grain harvested from the healthy plants; in contemporary English this would more naturally be expressed by terms like “grain” or “crop” coming up and increasing, and it bore a crop#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation—one thirty and one sixty and one a hundred times as much.#The phrase “times as much” is not in the Greek text but is implied 9And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Reason for the Parables
10And when he was alone, those around him together with the twelve began asking#The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began asking”) him about the parables. 11And he said to them, “To you has been granted the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything is in parables, 12so that
‘they may look closely#Literally “seeing they may see” and not perceive,
and they may listen carefully#Literally “hearing they may hear” and not understand,
lest they turn and it be forgiven them.’ ”#A quotation from Isa 6:9–10
The Parable of the Sower Interpreted
13And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15And these are the ones beside the path where the word is sown, and whenever they hear it,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16And these are like#Some manuscripts omit “like” the ones sown on the rocky ground, who whenever they hear the word immediately receive it with joy. 17And they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Then when#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“comes”) affliction or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18And others are the ones sown among the thorn plants—these are the ones who hear the word, 19and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“come in”) has been translated as a finite verb choke the word and it becomes unproductive. 20And those are the ones sown on the good soil, who hear the word and receive it#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and bear fruit—one thirty and one sixty and one a hundred times as much.”#The phrase “times as much” is not in the Greek text but is implied
The Parable of the Lamp
21And he said to them, “Surely a lamp is not brought so that it may be put under a bushel basket or under a bed, is it?#The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “is it” Is it not#The negative construction in Greek anticipates a positive answer here so that it may be put on a lampstand? 22For nothing is secret except so that it may be revealed, nor has become hidden except so that it will come to light. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” 24And he said to them, “Take care what you hear! With the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you, and 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.”
The Parable of the Seed that Grows by Itself
26And he said, “The kingdom of God is like this: like a man scatters seed on the ground. 27And he sleeps and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he does not know how.#Literally “in such a way as he does not know” 28By itself the soil produces a crop: first the grass, then the head of grain, then the full grain in the head. 29But when the crop permits, he sends in the sickle right away, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable can we present it? 31It is like a mustard seed that when sown on the ground, although it#*Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“is”) which is understood as concessive is the smallest of all the seeds that are on the ground, 32but when it is sown it grows up and becomes the largest of all the garden herbs, and sends out large branches so that the birds of the sky are able to nest in its shade.” 33And with many parables such as these he was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it.#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 34And he did not speak to them without a parable, but in private he explained everything to his own disciples.
Calming of a Storm
35And on that day, when it#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was”) was evening, he said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36And leaving the crowd, they took him along, as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37And a great storm of wind developed, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already being filled with water.#*The words “with water” are not in the Greek text but are implied 38And he was in the stern sleeping on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, is it not a concern to you that we are perishing?” 39And he woke up and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“woke up”) has been translated as a finite verb rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Be silent!” And the wind abated and there was a great calm. 40And he said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you not yet have faith?” 41And they were terribly frightened#Literally “they feared a great fear” and began to say#The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”) to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
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