Matthew 13:18-30

International Standard Version

Jesus Explains the Parable about the Farmer^(A)

¹⁸ “Listen, then, to the parable about the farmer. ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word about the kingdom yet doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on the stony ground, this is the person who hears the word and accepts it joyfully at once, ²¹ but since he doesn’t have any root in himself, he lasts for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls away. ²² As for what was sown among the thorn bushes, this is the person who hears the word, but the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of wealth choke the word so that it can’t produce a crop. ²³ But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word, understands it, and produces a crop that yields 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown.”^[a]

The Parable about the Weeds among the Wheat

²⁴ He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom from^[b] heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ While people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ When the crop came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared, too.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came and asked him, ‘Master, you sowed good seed in your field, didn’t you? Then where did these weeds come from?’

²⁸ “He told them, ‘An enemy did this!’

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them out?’

²⁹ “He said, ‘No! If you pull out the weeds, you might pull out the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles for burning, but bring the wheat into my barn.”’”