Matthew 13
13
The Parable of the Sower
Mk 4:1–9; Lk 8:4–8
1#Mt 13:36; Mk 2:13That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2#Lk 5:3Great crowds assembled around Him, so that He went into a boat and sat there. And the whole assembly stood on the shore. 3#Mt 13:10–13; 13:34–35Then He told them many things in parables, saying, “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4While he sowed, some seeds fell beside the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5But other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they did not have deep soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And because they did not take root, they withered away. 7Some seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8#Ge 26:12; Mt 13:23But other seeds fell into good ground and produced grain: a hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much. 9#Mt 11:15; Rev 2:7Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
Mk 4:10–12; Lk 8:9–10
10The disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11#1Jn 2:27; Mt 16:17He answered them, “It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12#Mt 25:29; Lk 8:18For to him who has, will more be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13#Jer 5:21; Eze 12:2Therefore I speak to them in parables:
‘Because they look, but do not see.
And they listen, but they do not hear, neither do they understand.’#Isa 56:7.
14#Isa 6:9–10; Mk 4:12In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:
‘By hearing, you will hear and shall not understand,
and seeing, you will see and shall not perceive;#Isa 6:9.
15#Heb 5:11; Ps 119:70 for this people’s heart has grown dull.
Their ears have become hard of hearing,
and they have closed their eyes,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I should heal them.’#A talent was worth several hundred pounds.
16#Mt 16:17; Lk 10:23–24But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17#Jn 8:56; Heb 11:13For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
Mk 4:13–20; Lk 8:11–15
18“Therefore listen to the parable of the sower. 19#Mt 4:23; 13:38When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one who received seed beside the path. 20#Isa 58:2; Eze 33:31–32But he who received the seed on rocky ground is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21#Mt 11:6; Hos 6:4yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, eventually he falls away. 22#1Ti 6:9–10; 6:17He also who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23#Mt 13:8; Jn 15:16; Php 1:11But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit. Some produce a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24#Mt 13:33; 13:47He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26But when the shoots had sprung up and produced fruit, the weeds also appeared.
27“So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28“He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’
“The servants said to him, ‘Will you then have us go and gather them up?’
29“But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the weeds, you pull up also the wheat with them. 30#Mt 3:12Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and theYeast
Mk 4:30–32; Lk 13:18–21
31#Mt 13:24; Mk 4:30–32He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. 32#Eze 31:6; Da 4:12This indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is the greatest among herbs and is a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”
33#Lk 13:21; Gal 5:9He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast which a woman took and mixed in sixty pounds#Gk. 3 sata, about 22 liters each. of meal until it had leavened the whole batch.”
The Use of Parables
Mk 4:33–34
34#Mk 4:33–34; Jn 16:25Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables. And without a parable He did not speak to them, 35#Ps 78:2; Ro 16:25–26to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will say things which have been kept secret since the foundation of the world.”#Ps 78:2.
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36#Mt 13:1Then Jesus sent the crowds away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38#Jn 8:44; Ac 13:10the field is the world, and the good seed are the sons ofthe kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of the evil one. 39#Mt 24:3; Joel 3:13The enemy who sowed them is thedevil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.
40“Therefore as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. 41#Mt 24:31; 18:7The Son of Man shall send out His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who do evil, 42#Mt 8:12; 13:50; 22:13and will throw them into a fiery furnace. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43#Da 12:3; Mt 11:15Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun#Da 12:3. in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44#Isa 55:1; Pr 23:23“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid. And with joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47#Mt 4:19“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and gathered all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, they drew it to shore, sat down, and gathered the good into baskets, but threw the bad away. 49#Mt 13:39So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50#Mt 8:12; 13:42and throw them into the fiery furnace. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Treasures New and Old
51#Mt 13:11Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all of these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52#Mt 12:35; 23:34Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who is discipled for the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is master of the household who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
Mk 6:1–6; Lk 4:16–30
53When Jesus finished these parables, He departed from there. 54#Mt 2:23; 4:23When He came to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55#Mk 6:3; Lk 3:23Is He not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57#Lk 4:24; Jn 4:44And they took offense at Him.
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 mighty works there because of their unbelief.
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Matthew 13: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Matthew 13
13
1And that same day Jesus went out from the house and sat down by the sea. 2And great crowds were gathered together to him, so that going on board ship himself he sat down, and the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went out to sow: 4and as he sowed, some grains fell along the way, and the birds came and devoured them; 5and others fell upon the rocky places where they had not much earth, and immediately they sprang up out of the ground because of not having any depth of earth, 6but when the sun rose they were burned up, and because of not having any root were dried up; 7and others fell upon the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them; 8and others fell upon the good ground, and produced fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, and one thirty. 9He that has ears, let him hear. 10And the disciples came up and said to him, Why speakest thou to them in parables? 11And he answering said to them, Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not given; 12for whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall be caused to be in abundance; but he who has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13For this cause I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear nor understand; 14and in them is filled up the prophecy of Esaias, which says, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and beholding ye shall behold and not see; 15for the heart of this people has grown fat, and they have heard heavily with their ears, and they have closed their eyes as asleep, lest they should see with the eyes, and hear with the ears, and understand with the heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear; 17for verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which ye behold and did not see them, and to hear the things which ye hear and did not hear them. 18Ye, therefore, hear the parable of the sower. 19From every one who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and catches away what was sown in his heart: this is he that is sown by the wayside. 20But he that is sown on the rocky places — this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21but has no root in himself, but is for a time only; and when tribulation or persecution happens on account of the word, he is immediately offended. 22And he that is sown among the thorns — this is he who hears the word, and the anxious care of this life, and the deceit of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23But he that is sown upon the good ground — this is he who hears and understands the word, who bears fruit also, and produces, one a hundred, one sixty, and one thirty.
24Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field; 25but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel amongst the wheat, and went away. 26But when the blade shot up and produced fruit, then appeared the darnel also. 27And the bondmen of the householder came up and said to him, Sir, hast thou not sown good seed in thy field? whence then has it darnel? 28And he said to them, A man that is an enemy has done this. And the bondmen said to him, Wilt thou then that we should go and gather it up? 29But he said, No; lest in gathering the darnel ye should root up the wheat with it. 30Suffer both to grow together unto the harvest, and in time of the harvest I will say to the harvestmen, Gather first the darnel, and bind it into bundles to burn it; but the wheat bring together into my granary. 31Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; 32which is less indeed than all seeds, but when it is grown is greater than herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and roost in its branches. 33He spoke another parable to them: The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it had been all leavened. 34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and without a parable he did not speak to them, 35so that that should be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the world's foundation. 36Then, having dismissed the crowds, he went into the house; and his disciples came to him, saying, Expound to us the parable of the darnel of the field. 37But he answering said, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man, 38and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy who has sowed it is the devil; and the harvest is the completion of the age, and the harvestmen are angels. 40As then the darnel is gathered and is burned in the fire, thus it shall be in the completion of the age. 41The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all offences, and those that practise lawlessness; 42and they shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that has ears, let him hear.
44The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hid in the field, which a man having found has hid, and for the joy of it goes and sells all whatever he has, and buys that field. 45Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls; 46and having found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all whatever he had and bought it. 47Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a seine which has been cast into the sea, and which has gathered together of every kind, 48which, when it has been filled, having drawn up on the shore and sat down, they gathered the good into vessels and cast the worthless out. 49Thus shall it be in the completion of the age: the angels shall go forth and sever the wicked from the midst of the just, 50and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 51Jesus says to them, Have ye understood all these things? They say to him, Yea, Lord. 52And he said to them, For this reason every scribe discipled to the kingdom of the heavens is like a man that is a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.
53And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these parables he withdrew thence. 54And having come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, Whence has this man this wisdom and these works of power? 55Is not this the son of the carpenter? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then has this man all these things? 57And they were offended in him. And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour, unless in his country and in his house. 58And he did not there many works of power, because of their unbelief.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.