Mark 4
4
Parable of the soils
1Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore. 2He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said, 3“Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed. 4As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. 6When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots. 7Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. 8Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one.” 9He said, “Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”
Jesus explains his parable
10When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. 11He said to them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables. 12This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven.
13“Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14The farmer scatters the word. 15This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path: When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them. 16Here’s the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground: When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully. 17Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. 18Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word; 19but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. 20The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one.”
Parables about lamps and measures
21Jesus said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp in order to put it under a basket or a bed? Shouldn’t it be placed on a lampstand? 22Everything hidden will be revealed, and everything secret will come out into the open. 23Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”
24He said to them, “Listen carefully! God will evaluate you with the same standard you use to evaluate others. Indeed, you will receive even more. 25Those who have will receive more, but as for those who don’t have, even what they don’t have will be taken away from them.”
More parables about God’s kingdom
26Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground, 27then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how. 28The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. 29Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvesttime.”
30He continued, “What’s a good image for God’s kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it? 31Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; 32but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade.”
33With many such parables he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear. 34He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them.
Jesus stops a storm
35Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” 36They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.
37Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. 38But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”
39He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. 40Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”
41Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
Currently Selected:
Mark 4: CEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Mark 4
4
1 And again, he began to teach by the sea. And a great crowd was gathered to him, so much so that, climbing into a boat, he was seated on the sea. And the entire crowd was on the land along the sea.
2 And he taught them many things in parables, and he said to them, in his doctrine:
3 "Listen. Behold, the sower went out to sow.
4 And while he was sowing, some fell along the way, and the birds of the air came and ate it.
5 Yet truly, others fell upon stony ground, where it did not have much soil. And it rose up quickly, because it had no depth of soil.
6 And when the sun was risen, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns. And the thorns grew up and suffocated it, and it did not produce fruit.
8 And some fell on good soil. And it brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased, and yielded: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred."
9 And he said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
10 And when he was alone, the twelve, who were with him, questioned him about the parable.
11 And 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, everything is presented in parables:
12 'so that, seeing, they may see, and not perceive; and hearing, they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they may be converted, and their sins would be forgiven them.' "
13 And he said to them: "Do you not understand this parable? And so, how will you understand all the parables?
14 He who sows, sows the word.
15 Now there are those who are along the way, where the word is sown. And when they have heard it, Satan quickly comes and takes away the word, which was sown in their hearts.
16 And similarly, there are those who were sown upon stony ground. These, when they have heard the word, immediately accept it with gladness.
17 But they have no root in themselves, and so they are for a limited time. And when next tribulation and persecution arises because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18 And there are others who are sown among thorns. These are those who hear the word,
19 but worldly tasks, and the deception of riches, and desires about other things enter in and suffocate the word, and it is effectively without fruit.
20 And there are those who are sown upon good soil, who hear the word and accept it; and these bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred."
21 And he said to them: "Would someone enter with a lamp in order to place it under a basket or under a bed? Would it not be placed upon a lampstand?
22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. Neither was anything done in secret, except that it may be made public.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
24 And he said to them: "Consider what you hear. With whatever measure you have measured out, it shall be measured back to you, and more shall be added to you.
25 For whoever has, to him it shall be given. And whoever has not, from him even what he has shall be taken away."
26 And he said: "The kingdom of God is like this: it is as if a man were to cast seed on the land.
27 And he sleeps and he arises, night and day. And the seed germinates and grows, though he does not know it.
28 For the earth bears fruit readily: first the plant, then the ear, next the full grain in the ear.
29 And when the fruit has been produced, immediately he sends out the sickle, because the harvest has arrived."
30 And he said: "To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or to what parable should we compare it?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed which, when it has been sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds which are in the earth.
32 And when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all the plants, and it produces great branches, so much so that the birds of the air are able to live under its shadow."
33 And with many such parables he spoke the word to them, as much as they were able to hear.
34 But he did not speak to them without a parable. Yet separately, he explained all things to his disciples.
35 And on that day, when evening had arrived, he said to them, "Let us cross over."
36 And dismissing the crowd, they brought him, so that he was in one boat, and other boats were with him.
37 And a great wind storm occurred, and the waves broke over the boat, so that the boat was being filled.
38 And he was in the stern of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, does it not concern you that we are perishing?"
39 And rising up, he rebuked the wind, and he said to the sea: "Silence. Be stilled." And the wind ceased. And a great tranquility occurred.
40 And he said to them: "Why are you afraid? Do you still lack faith?" And they were struck with a great fear. And they said to one another, "Who do you think this is, that both wind and sea obey him?"
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in