The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

²⁴ He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.^{(A) 25} But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds^[a] among the wheat, and left. ²⁶ When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷ The landowner’s slaves^(B) came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this!’ he told them.

“‘So, do you want us to go and gather them up?’ the slaves asked him.

²⁹ “‘No,’ he said. ‘When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn.’”

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Yeast

³¹ He^(C) presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven^(D) is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”^(E)

³³ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds^[b] of flour until it spread through all of it.”^[c](F)

Using Parables Fulfills Prophecy

³⁴ Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and He would not speak anything to them without a parable,^{(G) 35} so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

Jesus Interprets the Wheat and the Weeds

³⁶ Then He dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain the parable of the weeds in the field to us.”^(I)

³⁷ He replied: “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸ the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,^{(J) 39} and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.^{(K) 40} Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.^{(L) 41} The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin^[e] and those guilty of lawlessness.^{[f](M) 42} They will throw them into the blazing furnace^(N) where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(O) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Anyone who has ears^[g] should listen!^(P)