Matthew 13

The Parable of the Sower

1On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2And #13:2 Lit manylarge crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

3And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And others fell #13:7 Lit uponamong the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8And others fell on the good soil and were yielding #13:8 Lit fruita crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9He who has ears, #13:9 Or hear!, listen!; Gr imperativelet him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11And #13:11 Lit HeJesus answered and said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘ # 13:14 Lit With a hearing you will hear You will keep on hearing, # 13:14 Lit and but will not understand;

# 13:14 Lit Seeing you will see You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

15 For the heart of this people has become dull,

And with their ears they scarcely hear,

And they have closed their eyes,

Lest they would see with their eyes,

Hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart and return,

And I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he #13:21 Lit is caused to stumblefalls away. 22And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the #13:22 Or ageworld and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

The Parable of Tares Among Wheat

24He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven #13:24 Lit was compared tomay be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed #13:25 Or darnel, a weed resembling wheattares among the wheat, and went away. 26But when the #13:26 Lit grasswheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? #13:27 Lit From whereHow then does it have tares?’ 28And he said to them, ‘An #13:28 Lit enemy manenemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven

31He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32and this is the #13:32 Lit smallersmallest of all seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is the #13:32 Lit largerlargest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the #13:32 Or skyair come and nest in its branches.”

33He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in #13:33 Approx. 48 lb. or 39 l, a saton was approx. 16 lb. or 13 lthree sata of flour until it was all leavened.”

34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He was not speaking to them without a parable 35so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,

“I will open My mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Parable of Tares Explained

36Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the #13:36 Or darnel, a weed resembling wheattares of the field.” 37And He answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the #13:39 Or consummationend of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the #13:40 Or consummationend of the age. 41The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom #13:41 Or everything that is offensiveall stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, #13:43 Or hear!, listen!; Gr imperativelet him hear.

A Hidden Treasure

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

A Costly Pearl

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

A Dragnet

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49So it will be at the #13:49 Or consummationend of the age; the angels will come forth and #13:49 Or separatetake out the wicked from among the righteous, 50and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52And He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

53 # 13:53 Lit And Now it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54And He came to #13:54 Or His own part of the countryHis hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these #13:54 Or miraclesmiraculous powers? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and 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?” 57And they were taking offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his #13:57 Or own part of the countryhometown and in his own household.” 58And He did not do many #13:58 Or works of powermiracles there because of their unbelief.

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Matthew 13: LSB

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Matthew 13

A Story About Planting Seed

1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Large crowds gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat down, while the people stood on the shore. 3Then Jesus used stories to teach them many things. He said: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. 4While he was planting, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it all up. 5Some seed fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much dirt. That seed grew very fast, because the ground was not deep. 6But when the sun rose, the plants dried up, because they did not have deep roots. 7Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. 8Some other seed fell on good ground where it grew and produced a crop. Some plants made a hundred times more, some made sixty times more, and some made thirty times more. 9Let those with ears use them and listen.”

Why Jesus Used Stories to Teach

10The followers came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you use stories to teach the people?”

11Jesus answered, “You have been chosen to know the secrets about the kingdom of heaven, but others cannot know these secrets. 12Those who have understanding will be given more, and they will have all they need. But those who do not have understanding, even what they have will be taken away from them. 13This is why I use stories to teach the people: They see, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand. 14So they show that the things Isaiah said about them are true:

‘You will listen and listen, but you will not understand.

You will look and look, but you will not learn.

15For the minds of these people have become stubborn.

They do not hear with their ears,

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might really understand

what they see with their eyes

and hear with their ears.

They might really understand in their minds

and come back to me and be healed.’#Isaiah 6:9–10

16But you are blessed, because you see with your eyes and hear with your ears. 17I tell you the truth, many prophets and good people wanted to see the things that you now see, but they did not see them. And they wanted to hear the things that you now hear, but they did not hear them.

Jesus Explains the Seed Story

18“So listen to the meaning of that story about the farmer. 19What is the seed that fell by the road? That seed is like the person who hears the message about the kingdom but does not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away what was planted in that person’s heart. 20And what is the seed that fell on rocky ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and quickly accepts it with joy. 21But he does not let the teaching go deep into his life, so he keeps it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching he accepted, he quickly gives up. 22And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and the temptation of wealth stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life. 23But what is the seed that fell on the good ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and understands it. That person grows and produces fruit, sometimes a hundred times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes thirty times more.”

A Story About Wheat and Weeds

24Then Jesus told them another story: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. 25That night, when everyone was asleep, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. 26Later, the wheat sprouted and the heads of grain grew, but the weeds also grew. 27Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’ 28The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’ The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to pull up the weeds?’ 29The man answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. 30Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At harvest time I will tell the workers, “First gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.” ’ ”

Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast

31Then Jesus told another story: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. 32That seed is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes big enough for the wild birds to come and build nests in its branches.”

33Then Jesus told another story: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and hid in a large tub of flour until it made all the dough rise.”

34Jesus used stories to tell all these things to the people; he always used stories to teach them. 35This is as the prophet said:

“I will speak using stories;

I will tell things that have been secret since the world was made.”#Psalm 78:2

Jesus Explains About the Weeds

36Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His followers came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”

37Jesus answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed are all of God’s children who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those people who belong to the Evil One. 39And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the age, and the workers who gather are God’s angels.

40“Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all who cause sin and all who do evil. 42The angels will throw them into the blazing furnace, where the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain. 43Then the good people will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let those with ears use them and listen.

Stories of a Treasure and a Pearl

44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure, and then he hid it in the field again. He was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned to buy that field.

45“Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a man looking for fine pearls. 46When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.

A Story of a Fishing Net

47“Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was put into the lake and caught many different kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled the net to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets and threw away the bad fish. 49It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the good people. 50The angels will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”

51Jesus asked his followers, “Do you understand all these things?”

They answered, “Yes, we understand.”

52Then Jesus said to them, “So every teacher of the law who has been taught about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house. He brings out both new things and old things he has saved.”

Jesus Goes to His Hometown

53When Jesus finished teaching with these stories, he left there. 54He went to his hometown and taught the people in the synagogue, and they were amazed. They said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and this power to do miracles? 55He is just the son of a carpenter. His mother is Mary, and his brothers are James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56And all his sisters are here with us. Where then does this man get all these things?” 57So the people were upset with Jesus.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown and in his own home.”

58So he did not do many miracles there because they had no faith.

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