Mark:4

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* Afterwards Jesus began to teach by the seaside , and a vast multitude of people gathered about him , so that he went on board a boat on the sea , and sat there , while all the people stayed on shore , at the waters edge . * Then he began teaching them in parables many things . In his teaching he said to them . * "Listen ! the Sower once went out to sow , * and as he sowed , it happened that some seed fell on the road , and birds came and picked it up ; * some other seed fell on stony soil , where it had not much earth ; and it sprang up quickly because it had no depth of soil , * but when the sun rose it was scorched and withered away because it had no root . * Other seed fell among the thorns , and the thorns sprang up and choked it , so that it yielded no crop . * But some seed fell into good soil and yielded a crop that sprang up and increased , yielding thirty , sixty , or a hundredfold . * "Any one who has ears to hear ," he added , "let him listen to this ." * When he was alone his followers and the Twelve began asking about the parables . * He went on to say to them . "The secret truth concerning the kingdom of God has been given to you , but to those outside everything is told in parables , * so that , "for all their looking they may not see , and for all their hearing , they may not understand , lest perchance they should turn and be pardoned . * "You do not understand this parable ," said Jesus . "Then how will you understand the other parables ? * "What the Sower sows is the Word . There are those on the wayside where the Word is sown . * As soon as they hear it , Satan immediately comes and snatches away the Word which has been sown in them . * And like the sowing upon stony ground are those who , whenever they hear the Word , at once receive it with joy , * but because they have no root in themselves they last for a time ; but when suffering or persecution ensues because of the Word , they at once fall away . * There are others who are sown among thorns . * When they have heard the Word , the anxieties of life and the snares of wealth , and all sorts of other ambitions , come in to choke the Word , so that it proves unfruitful . * But those , on the other hand , who were sown on that good soil , are those who listen to the Word , and welcome it , and bear fruit , thirty , sixty , or a hundredfold ." * He went on to say . "Is the lamp brought in to be put under the bushel or the bed ? Is it not rather to be put on the lamp-stand ? * There is nothing hidden except what is to be disclosed , and nothing concealed except what is to be revealed . * If any man has ears to hear , let him hear ." * And he said to them . "Take heed what you hear . With what measure you measure it will be measured to you , and more will be given to you . * For he who holds , to him will more be given , and he who holds not , from him will be taken even what he holds ." "It is with the kingdom of God ," he continued , "as if a man should have sown seed in the earth ; * night and day he sleeps and wakes while the seed is sprouting and growing tall , he knows not how . * Of its own accord the earth bears its crops ; first the blade , then the ear , then the full grain in the ear . * Then as soon as the crop is ready the man has the sickle put in at once , because harvest-time is come . * "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God ?" he said again . "in what parable shall we set it forth ? * It is like a mustard-seed , which , when sown in the soil , is the smallest seed in the world ; * yet when sown shoots up and becomes larger than any plant , sending out such branches that the wild birds build their nests under its shadow ." * With many such illustrations Jesus used to tell his message to people as far as they were able to receive it ; * and to them it was his practice never to speak except in parables . But he used to explain everything in private to his disciples . * On the evening of that same day Jesus said to them , "Let us go across to the other side ." * So , leaving the crowd behind , they took him with them just as he was in the boat ; and the other boats were with him . * But a great gale of wind came up , and the waves were dashing into the boat so that it began to fill . * Now he himself was sleeping on the cushion in the stern , so they woke him up , saying , "Master , do you not care if we perish ?" * And he awoke , rebuked the wind , and said to the sea , "Peace , be still !" * The wind fell , and there ensued a great calm . Then he said to them . "Why are you so afraid ? Have you still no faith ?" * Then they were awestruck , and said one to another , "Who can this be , that even the wind and the sea obey him !"

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