Dual Panel1THAT SAME day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting beside the sea.
2But such great crowds gathered about Him that He got into a boat and remained sitting there, while all the throng stood on the shore.
3And He told them many things in parables (stories by way of illustration and comparison), saying, A sower went out to sow.
4And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and ate them up.
5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil; and at once they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.
6But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up {and} withered away.
7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out.
8Other seeds fell on good soil, and yielded grain--some a hundred times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some thirty.
9He who has ears [to hear], let him be listening {and} let him consider {and} perceive {and} comprehend by hearing.
10Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
11And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets {and} mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given {and} he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp {and} understand.
14In them indeed is the process of fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: You shall indeed hear {and} hear but never grasp {and} understand; and you shall indeed look {and} look but never see {and} perceive.
15For this nation's heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy {and} difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see {and} perceive with their eyes, and hear {and} comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp {and} understand with their heart, and turn {and} I should heal them.
16But blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.
17Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men [men who were upright and in right standing with God] yearned to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower:
19While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp {and} comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.
20As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes {and} accepts it with joy;
21Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction {or} trouble {or} persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] {and} he falls away.
22As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure {and} delight {and} glamour {and} deceitfulness of riches choke {and} suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.
23As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps {and} comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.
24Another parable He set forth before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25But while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed also darnel (weeds resembling wheat) among the wheat, and went on his way.
26So when the plants sprouted and formed grain, the darnel (weeds) appeared also.
27And the servants of the owner came to him and said, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how does it have darnel shoots in it?
28He replied to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and weed them out?
29But he said, No, lest in gathering the wild wheat (weeds resembling wheat), you root up the [true] wheat along with it.
30Let them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather the darnel first and bind it in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my granary.
31Another story by way of comparison He set forth before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.
32Of all the seeds it is the smallest, but when it has grown it is the largest of the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and find shelter in its branches.
33He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven (sour dough) which a woman took and covered over in three measures of meal {or} flour till all of it was leavened.
34These things all taken together Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, without a parable He said nothing to them.
35This was in fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet: I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things that have been hidden since the foundation of the world.
36Then He left the throngs and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him saying, Explain to us the parable of the darnel in the field.
37He answered, He Who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38The field is the world, and the good seed means the children of the kingdom; the darnel is the children of the evil one,
39And the enemy who sowed it is the devil. The harvest is the close {and} consummation of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40Just as the darnel (weeds resembling wheat) is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age.
41The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense [persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin] and all who do iniquity {and} act wickedly,
42And will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping {and} wailing and grinding of teeth.
43Then will the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God) shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears [to hear] be listening, {and} let him consider {and} perceive {and} understand by hearing.
44The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.
45Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine {and} precious pearls,
46Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.
47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet which was cast into the sea and gathered in fish of every sort.
48When it was full, men dragged it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted out the good fish into baskets, but the worthless ones they threw away.
49So it will be at the close {and} consummation of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the wicked from the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God)
50And cast them [the wicked] into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping {and} wailing and grinding of teeth.
51Have you understood all these things [parables] taken together? They said to Him, Yes, {Lord.}
52He said to them, Therefore every teacher {and} interpreter of the Sacred Writings who has been instructed about {and} trained for the kingdom of heaven and has become a disciple is like a householder who brings forth out of his storehouse treasure that is new and [treasure that is] old [the fresh as well as the familiar].
53When Jesus had finished these parables (these comparisons), He left there.
54And coming to His own country [Nazareth], He taught in their synagogue so that they were amazed with bewildered wonder, and said, Where did this Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?
55Is not this the carpenter's Son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56And do not all His sisters live here among us? Where then did this Man get all this?
57And they took offense at Him [they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging His authority, and caused to stumble]. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.
58And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in the divine mission of Jesus).