Mark 4

¹³Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.

¹On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

²He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

⁴While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable:

⁵“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.

²Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.

⁷So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable.

³⁵So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

²³So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?

¹¹He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,

¹⁰Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

³And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.

²I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

⁵Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?

⁶I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

⁷So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

³⁵Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.

³⁶Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.

²⁶When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁶Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.

²⁷Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.

¹Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

¹⁹When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

¹⁵Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

⁴And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

¹²The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

¹¹And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

⁵“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

²⁶I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

⁶Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

¹³The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

¹²Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the Lord until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.

⁵Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.

⁶But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

¹⁹And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,

⁵This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the Lord.

⁶He will be like a shrub in the desert; he will not see when prosperity comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

¹¹For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

⁸As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint and wished to die, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

⁴For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall,

⁷rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

¹⁶‘Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.’

³For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

¹⁶For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

¹⁷And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

¹⁸Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

¹⁵And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

³⁴But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.

¹⁴The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.

⁵I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

⁶that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.

¹²Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him,

²⁰Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”

¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.

²Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

¹⁵He who has ears, let him hear.

²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁴He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.

²²He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

¹³He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

⁶He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

¹⁸Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

¹⁰Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

⁹Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.

¹⁰He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’

¹⁷After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.

³⁶Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁴He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.

²⁰He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

²⁵At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

¹⁰He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’

¹²Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

¹²What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

¹³God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

⁹And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

¹⁰Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

¹⁸They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand.

¹⁴In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

¹⁵For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

²¹“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

⁴Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.

³⁷Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.

³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

¹⁹Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

¹¹Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

¹²The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

⁵¹Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.

⁵²Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

¹Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.

²I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready,

¹¹We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing.

¹²Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!

⁸Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread?

⁹Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

⁴Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

¹⁹When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

²³For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

²⁴For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

¹¹Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

³⁷He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

²they gathered in such large numbers that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them.

⁸Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

¹⁹When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

¹¹in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

¹²The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

⁴And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

¹³The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

²⁰The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.

²¹But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

²⁰because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.

³⁵John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.

³¹So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.

³²Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.

¹³Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.

⁶Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”

³so that none of you would be shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for this.

⁴Indeed, when we were with you, we kept warning you that we would suffer persecution; and as you know, it has come to pass.

¹⁰Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

³¹Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

²He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

²⁹How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

¹⁴The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.

³For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.

²²The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

¹⁶For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

⁹Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

¹⁰For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

¹⁷Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.

²Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.

³For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.

⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

²³Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

¹⁰so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

¹⁵But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.

⁴Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

⁵I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

²³But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”

⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”

⁸For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

³³No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.

¹⁶No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.

¹Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

²For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.

³But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.

⁴Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving.

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.

¹⁴For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

⁵Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

²I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

³that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.

²⁶So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.

²⁷What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.

⁹I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O Lord, do know.

¹⁰I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly.

¹⁵He who has ears, let him hear.

⁹Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

¹⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

¹¹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.

¹We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

¹⁸Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

²For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

¹¹Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.

²⁷My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

¹²Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

¹⁸Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

²⁸Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.

²⁹For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

²He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

⁹I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

¹⁰Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

²⁴Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

²⁵‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

²⁴Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

⁶I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

⁷So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

²³For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

²⁴For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

¹¹Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

⁵“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.

⁵As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

³We are obligated to thank God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is increasing.

¹⁷I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.

³⁷And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else.

³⁸But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.

⁷Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’

⁸The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

¹⁰so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

³So let us know—let us press on to know the Lord. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.

³¹It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.

³²But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”

¹⁰so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

²⁶When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

⁶being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

¹³Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.

³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

¹The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous are taken away from the presence of evil.

²Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest, lying down in death.

⁴⁰As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

⁴¹The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.

²⁶You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.

¹³And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

¹⁴And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

³¹He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field.

³²Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

¹⁸Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?

¹⁹It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

¹³What can I say for you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you?

²⁴Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

¹⁶To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

²⁰So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.

¹⁷I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

¹⁸And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

¹⁸Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?

¹⁹It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

⁴⁴In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.

⁴⁵And just as you saw a stone being cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

¹¹For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of Hosts.

²He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.

²⁰The tree you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky and was visible to all the earth,

²¹whose foliage was beautiful and whose fruit was abundant, providing food for all, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air nested—

¹⁰In these visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this come to pass: There was a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was great.

¹¹The tree grew large and strong; its top reached the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth.

³Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It towered on high; its top was among the clouds.

⁴The waters made it grow; the deep springs made it tall, directing their streams all around its base and sending their channels to all the trees of the field.

⁹You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.

¹⁰The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches.

¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

⁹They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is full of water.

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable.

³⁵So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

¹²I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it.

¹Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.

²I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready,

¹¹We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing.

¹²Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!

²⁵I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father.

²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

¹⁰As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.

³⁶Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

¹⁵Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

¹⁶“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked.

⁹Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.

¹⁰He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’

¹⁸When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.

²⁵“Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

²²One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out.

²³When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

²⁴Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping.

²²Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.

¹³And He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.

¹Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

⁹Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.

²As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.

²¹When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea.

²³When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

²⁴Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping.

¹⁹when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

²²One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out.

²³As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

⁴Then the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.

²³Others went out to sea in ships, conducting trade on the mighty waters.

²⁴They saw the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.

¹⁴But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island.

¹⁵Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along.

⁷Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.

²⁵The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

⁶For the Lord has called you back, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, like the rejected wife of one’s youth,” says your God.

⁷“For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back.

²⁴The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm.

²⁷At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”

²⁸So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.

²⁹He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

⁹You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.

¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

⁷You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.

²²Do you not fear Me?” declares the Lord. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.

²⁹when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

²⁵“Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

²⁶“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.

³¹Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.

⁸Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread?

³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

²⁵“Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

¹¹and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?

¹⁸So Samuel called to the Lord, and on that day the Lord sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

¹⁹They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”

⁹“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the Lord, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”

¹⁰Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

¹⁵Then they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm.

¹⁶Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to Him.

²⁴Above all, fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.