St Matthew 13
13
1THE same day Jesus going out of the house, sat by the sea side.
2And great multitudes were gathered unto him, so that he went up into a boat and sat: and all the multitude stood on the shore.
3And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying: Behold the sower went forth to sow.
4And whilst he soweth some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate them up.
5And other some fell upon stony ground, where they had not much earth: and they sprung up immediately, because they had no deepness of earth.
6And when the sun was up they were scorched: and because they had not root, they withered away.
7And others fell among thorns: and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8And others fell upon good ground: and they brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.
9He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10And his disciples came and said to him: Why speakest thou to them in parables?
11Who answered and said to them: Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven: but to them it is not given.
12For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he shall abound: but he that hath not, from him shall be taken away that also which he hath.
13Therefore do I speak to them in parables: because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.
15For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
17For, amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.
18Hear you therefore the parable of the sower.
19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, there cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart: this is he that received the seed by the way side.
20And he that received the seed upon stony ground, is he that heareth the word, and immediately receiveth it with joy.
21Yet hath he not root in himself, but is only for a time: and when there ariseth tribulation and persecution because of the word, he is presently scandalized.
22And he that received the seed among thorns, is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choketh up the word, and he becometh fruitless.
23But he that received the seed upon good ground, is he that heareth the word, and understandeth, and beareth fruit, and yieldeth the one an hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty.
24Another parable he proposed to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seeds in his field.
25But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat and went his way.
26And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle.
27And the servants of the goodman of the house coming said to him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it cockle?
28And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up?
29And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it.
30Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.
31Another parable he proposed unto them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.
32Which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof.
33Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.
34All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes: and without parables he did not speak to them.
35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.
36Then having sent away the multitudes, he came into the house, and his disciples came to him, saying: Expound to us the parable of the cockle of the field.
37Who made answer and said to them: He that soweth the good seed, is the Son of man.
38And the field, is the world. And the good seed are the children of the kingdom. And the cockle, are the children of the wicked one.
39And the enemy that sowed them, is the devil. But the harvest is the end of the world. And the reapers are the angels.
40Even as cockle therefore is gathered up, and burnt with fire: so shall it be at the end of the world.
41The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all scandals, and them that work iniquity.
42And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43Then shall the just shine as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
44The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. Which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking good pearls.
46Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went his way, and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all kind of fishes.
48Which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth.
49So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just.
50And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51Have ye understood all these things? They say to him: Yes.
52He said unto them: Therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like to a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.
53And it came to pass: when Jesus had finished these parables, he passed from thence.
54And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, so that they wondered and said: How came this man by this wisdom and miracles?
55Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude:
56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence therefore hath he all these things?
57And they were scandalized in his regard. But Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
58And he wrought not many miracles there, because of their unbelief.
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St Matthew 13: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Matthew 13
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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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.