Mark 4:13-25

New American Standard Bible

Explanation of the Parable

^13 (A)And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately ^(B)Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. ¹⁶ And in a similar way these are the ones sown with seed on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; ¹⁷ and yet they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they ^[a]fall away. ¹⁸ And others are the ones sown with seed among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of ^(C)the ^[b]world, and the ^(D)deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it ^[c]becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and ^(E)bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.”

²¹ And He was saying to them, “^(F)A lamp is not brought to be put under a ^[d]basket, or under a bed, is it? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? ^22 (G)For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. ^23 (H)If anyone has ears to hear, ^[e]let him hear.” ²⁴ And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. ^[f](I)By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. ^25 (J)For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”