Matthew 13
The Parable of the Sower
1 In that day when Jesus went out of the city he sat by the sea, 2 and [a] great crowd gathered by him, so that having embarked he sat in [a] boat, and all the crowd stood on the shore. 3 And he said to them many [things] in parables saying:Behold the sower went out to be sowing. 4 And among what he sowed some on the one hand fell by the road, and when the birds came they ate it. 5 On the other hand [some] fell on the rocky soil where it did not have much earth1 , and immediately it sprang up because of not having depth of earth1; 6 so when the sun rose it was scorched, and because of not having root it was withered. 7 On the other hand [some] fell among the thistles, and the thistles came up and choked it. 8 On the other hand some fell on the good soil1, and was giving fruit, on the one hand hundredfold, on the other sixtyfold, [and] on the other thirtyfold. 9 The [one having] ears to be hearing2, let3 him be hearing.
10 And when his disciples came they said to him: Why do you speak in parables to them? 11 But when he answered he said: To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to those it is not given. 12 For whoever has, it shall be given to him, and will be more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 I speak to them in parables because of this: Because looking they do not look, and hearing they do not hear not understand4. 14 And the prophesy of Isaiah is fulfilled in them which said5:
Hearing they will hear and will not understand
And looking they will look, and will not see.
15 For the heart of this people has grown fat6
An with their ears they heard with disgust,
And their eyes they have closed Lest they see with their eyes
And understand with their hearts and turn back
And I heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes because they look, and [your] ears because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and just men lusted to see what you look at and they did not see, and to hear and they did not hear.
18 Therefore hear the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand, the wicked7 [one] comes and carries off what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the road. 20 And what was sown on the rocky soil, this is the one hearing the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 but it has no root in him, but is transitory, so when trouble or persecution comes to pass because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 And what was sown in the thistles, this is the one hearing the word, and the concerns of the8 age and the guile of riches chokes the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But what was sown on the good soil1, this is the [one] hearing the word and understanding, who indeed bears fruit and produces on the one hand [a] hundredfold, on the other sixty fold, [and] on the other thirty fold.
The Parable of the Weeds
24 Another parable he placed before them saying: The kingdom of the heavens is like [a] man sowing good seed in his field. 25 But while the man sleeps his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and left. 26 So when the grass sprouted and bore fruit, then the tares also became manifest. 27 So when the slaves of the householder came they said to him: Lord, did we not sow good seed in the field? Whence therefore does it have tares? 28 But he told them, [An] enemy did this. So the slaves say: Do you wish therefore when we go that we gather them? 29 But he tells them, No, lest gathering the tares you uproot the wheat with them. 30 Allow them to grow together until the harvest, and in the time9 of the harvest I will say to the harvesters: Gather first the tares and bind them into bundles in order to burn them, but the wheat gather into my storehouse.The Parable of the Mustard Seed
31 Another parable he placed before them saying: The kingdom of the heavens is like [a] mustard seed, which when [a] man takes he plants in his field, 32 which indeed is smaller than all seeds, but when it has grown is the larger of the herbs and becomes [a] tree, so that the birds of heaven come and rest in its branches.The Parable of the Yeast
33 Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which when [a] woman takes she hides [it] in three statons10 of meal, until all of it is leavened.The Purpose of Parables
34 All these [things] Jesus spoke in parables to the crowd, and without parables he said nothing to them. 35 Thus what was said by the prophet was fulfilled when he says11:I will open my mouth in parables,
I will shout [things] secret
From the foundation of the world.
Explanation for the Disciples
36 Then having left the crowd he came into the house. And his disciples came to him saying: Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. 37 So answering he said: The [one] sowing the good seed is the son of man. 38 And the field is the world, and the good seed these are the sons of the kingdom, and tares are the sons of the wicked7 [one]. 39 And the enemy who sows these is the devil, and the harvest is the completion of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 As therefore they gather the tares and burn them in fire, thus it will be in the completion of the age. 41 The son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all [those] causing stumbling12 and those doing lawlessness. 42 And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding13 of teeth. 43 Then the just will shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father. The [one] having ears to be hearing14, let3 him be hearing.Parables on the Kingdom of the Heavens
44 The kingdom of the heavens is like [a] treasure hidden in the field, which when [a] man found he hid, and from his joy he goes and sells whatever he has and buys that field.45 Again the kingdom of the heavens is like [a] traveler seeking beautiful pearls. 46 And when he finds one costly pearl, having gone he has sold all that he had and bought it.
47 Again the kingdom of the heavens is like [a] net having been thrown in the sea and having gathered out of every kind, 48 which when it was filled they drag [it] to the shore and having sat they gather the good into containers, but the rotten they throw out. 49 Thus it will be in the completion of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked7 from the midst of the just. 50 And they will throw them into the fiery furnace. There shall there be wailing and grinding of teeth. 51 Have you understood all these [things]? They say to him: Yes.
52 So he said to them: Because of this every scribe who becomes [a] disciple in the kingdom of the heavens is like [a] man [who is a] householder, who brings out of his treasure new [things] and old.
Rejection at Nazareth
53 And it came to pass Jesus then finished these parables, [and] he departed from there. 54 And having come to his own native-land he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were amazed and were saying: Whence [is] this wisdom and power to this [man]? 55 Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James and Joseph15 and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Whence therefore are all these [things] to this [man]? 57 And they were being stumbled in him. So Jesus says to them: [a] prophet is not without honor except in his own native-land and in his house. 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.1GE "GAY" (γη) "earth", "land" (remember that they didn't understand about the Earth being a planet floating in space yet), sometimes "ground" or "dirt".
2"ears to be hearing": C KD most; "ears" ℵ B
3imperative
4"because looking they do not look, and hearing they do not hear and understand" ℵ B KW most; "in order that looking they may not look, and hearing they may not hear not understand" D many
5Isa.6:9-10
6or "thick"
7PONEROS (πoνηρoς ) here. The Greek word KAKOS (κακoς ) is always translated `evil', PONEROS is usually translated as `wicked' although occasionally as `bad'; it can also mean 'diseased', 'sickly' and is thus translated where appropriate. Like KAKOS, PONEROS also means `evil', but the harm that evil does is more in view, where KAKOS is more `evil as evil'.
8"the" ℵBD; "this" K most
9KAIROS (καιρoς ) `opportune time', `proper time', `season'
10saton = 21 pints
11Ps.78:2
12or "ruin", "disaster"
13"snarling," "biting," "gnashing."
14"ears to be hearing" W KD most; "ears" ℵ B
15"Joseph" HℵB vg ; "Joses" W many