The parable of the sower, the lamp, the seed, and the mustard seed - Mark 4

The parable of the sower

1 - And again he began to teach by the sea, and a great multitude was gathered unto him, and he went in, and sat down in a ship, upon the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land by the sea.

2 - And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

3 - Hear, Behold, the sower went forth to sow.

4 - And it came to pass, when he sowed, that a part of the seed fell by the way, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it;

5 - And another fell upon stony places, where there was not much earth, and was born soon, because it had no deep earth;

6 - And when the sun was gone, it was scorched; and because he had no root, he withered.

7 And another fell among thorns, and the thorns grew, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8 - And another fell on good ground and bore fruit, which avenged and grew; and one produced thirty, another sixty, and another hundred.

9 - And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 - And when he was alone, they that stood by him with the twelve asked him concerning the parable.

11 And he said unto them, It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all these things are spoken of in parables,

12 - That, when they see, and see, and perceive not; and hear, and hear, and understand not; that they may not be converted, and that their sins be forgiven them.

13 - And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? How then can you understand all the parables?

14 - He that soweth, sows the word;

15 - And they that are by the way are those in whom the word is sown; but when they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 - And likewise they that receive the seed upon stony places; who, when they hear the word, will receive it with pleasure;

17 - But they have no root in themselves, but they are of old; then, when tribulation or persecution comes, because of the word, they are soon offended.

18 - And there are others that receive the seed among thorns, which hear the word;

19 - But the cares of this world, and the deceits of riches and the ambitions of other things, entering in, suffocate the word, and become unfruitful.

20 - And these are they which were sown in the good land, which hearken unto the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, one thirty, and another sixty, and another hundred.

The parable of the lamp

21 - And he saith unto them, `Shall the candle come to get under the bushel, or under the bed? ' not come before to put on the night stand?

22 - For there is nothing concealed that shall not be made manifest; and nothing is done to be hidden, but to be discovered.

23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

24 - And he said unto them, Take heed what thou goest to hear. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you, and it shall be added unto you that hear.

25 - For he that hath shall be given; and to him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

The parable of the seed

26 - And he said, The kingdom of God is as if a man cast seed into the ground.

27 - And sleep, and get up by night or by day, and the seed sprout and grow, not knowing it how.

28 - For the earth bringeth forth fruit by itself, first the herb, then the ear, and the corn full in the ear.

29 - And it shall be, when the fruit shall be seen, the scythe shall soon go in, for the harvest is come.

The parable of the mustard seed

30 - And he said, To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what parable shall we represent it?

31 - It is like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown in the earth is the least of all the seeds that are in the earth;

32 - But it was sown, and it grew; and makes himself the largest of all the greenery, and makes great branches, so that the birds of the sky can nestle under its shadow.

33 - And he spake unto them a great number of such parables, according to their understanding.

34 - And without parables he never spoke to them; but he declared all things in private to his disciples.

Jesus the Storm

35 - And it came to pass on that day, when it was evening, that he said unto them, Let us go over to the other side.

36 - And they, leaving the multitude, took him with him, as he was, in the ship; and there were other boats with him also.

37 - And there was a great storm of wind, and the waves rolled up above the boat, so that it was already full.

38 - And he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion, and they awoke him, saying unto him, Master, canst thou not perish?

39 - And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Be still, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 - And he said unto them, Why art ye so timid? Still have not faith?

41 - And they were greatly afraid, and said one to another, But who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?