Matthew 13:1-23

Revised Geneva Translation

13 The same day, Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.

² And great multitudes gathered to Him, so that He went into a ship and sat down. And the whole multitude stood on the shore.

³ Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, a sower went out to sow.

⁴ “And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside. And the birds came and devoured them.

⁵ “And some fell upon stony ground, where they did not have much earth. And soon they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.

⁶ “But when the Sun came up, they were burnt up; and for lack of rooting, withered away.

⁷ “And some fell among thorns. And the thorns sprang up and choked them.

⁸ But some fell in good ground, and brought forth fruit; one corn a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and another thirtyfold.

⁹ “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁰ Then the disciples came, and said to Him, “Why did You speak to them in parables?”

¹¹ And He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. But to them it is not given.

¹² “For whoever has, to him shall be given. And he shall have abundance. But whoever does not have, even that which he has shall be taken away from him.

¹³ “Therefore, I speak to them in parables. Because they, seeing, do not see. And hearing, they do not hear, nor understand.

¹⁴ “So in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled which says, ‘By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing, you shall see and shall not perceive.

¹⁵ “‘For this people’s heart has grown fat and their ears barely hear and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their hearts and should return, that I might heal them.’

¹⁶ “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

¹⁷ “For truly I say to you that many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see and have not seen them; and to hear those things which you hear and have not heard them.

¹⁸ “Therefore, hear the parable of the Sower.

¹⁹ “Whenever anyone hears the Word of the Kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away that which was sown in his heart. And this is the one who has received the seed by the wayside.

²⁰ “And the one who received seed in the stony ground, is he who hears the Word, and immediately, with joy, receives it,

²¹ “but he has no root in himself and endures but a season. For as soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, he quickly stumbles.

²² “And the one who receives the seed among thorns, is he who hears the Word, but the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word. And it is made unfruitful.

²³ “But the one who receives the seed in the good ground, is he who hears the Word and understands it, who also bears fruit and brings forth; some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.”