Mark 4:1-20

The Parable of the Sower

4¹ And again he began to teach by the sea. And a great crowd was gathered together to him, so that going on board ship he sat in the sea, and all the crowd were close to the sea on the land. ² And he taught them many things in parables. And he said to them in his doctrine, ³ Hearken: Behold, the sower went forth to sow. ⁴ And it came to pass as he sowed, one fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ And another fell on the rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprung up out [of the ground] because it had no depth of earth; ⁶ and when the sun arose it was burnt up, and because of its not having any root, it withered. ⁷ And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. ⁸ And another fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing; and bore, one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundred. ⁹ And he said, He that has ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁰ And when he was alone, those about him with the twelve asked him [as to] the parables. ¹¹ And he said to them, To you is given [to know] the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to them who are without, all things are done in parables, ¹² that beholding they may behold and not see, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest it may be, they should be converted and they should be forgiven. ¹³ And he says to them, Do ye not know this parable? and how will ye be acquainted with all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word: ¹⁵ and these are they by the wayside where the word is sown, and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ And these are they in like manner who are sown upon the rocky places, who when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, ¹⁷ and they have no root in themselves, but are for a time: then, tribulation arising, or persecution on account of the word, immediately they are offended. ¹⁸ And others are they who are sown among the thorns: these are they who have heard the word, ¹⁹ and the cares of life, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ And these are they who have been sown on the good ground, such as hear the word and receive it, and bear fruit; one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundred [fold].