1  On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake. 2  And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3  He told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4  And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5  Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep. 6  But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. 7  Other seeds fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked them. 8  But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 9  The one who has ears had better listen!”

10  Then the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11  He replied, “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 12  For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13  For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 14  And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

16 “But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17  For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 19  When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the path. 20  The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21  But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22  The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing. 23  But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”

24  He presented them with another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 25  But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26  When the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. 27  So the slaves of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ 28  He said, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29  But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them. 30  Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

31  He gave them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32  It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches.”

33  He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”

34  Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable. 35  This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet:

36  Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37  He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38  The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39  and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40  As the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41  The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. 42  They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46  When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish. 48  When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away. 49  It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous 50  and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They replied, “Yes.” 52  Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”

53  Now when Jesus finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54  Then he came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers? 55  Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? And aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56  And aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where did he get all this?” 57  And so they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own house.” 58  And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.