Do Good to Please God

6 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, ^(A)when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret ^(B)will Himself reward you ^[a]openly.

The Model Prayer^(C)

⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the ^[b]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, ^(D)go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you ^[c]openly. ⁷ And when you pray, ^(E)do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. ^(F)For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father ^(G)knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this ^(H)manner, therefore, pray:

^14 (Q)“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But ^(R)if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting to Be Seen Only by God

¹⁶ “Moreover, ^(S)when you fast, do not be like the ^[e]hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, ^(T)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you ^[f]openly.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven^(U)

^19 (V)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ^20 (W)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lamp of the Body^(X)

^22 (Y)“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is ^[g]good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is ^[h]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Riches

^24 (Z)“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. ^(AA)You cannot serve God and ^[i]mammon.

Do Not Worry^(AB)

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, ^(AC)do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ^26 (AD)Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one ^[j]cubit to his ^[k]stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not ^[l]arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But ^(AE)seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic^(A)

9 So He got into a boat, crossed over, ^(B)and came to His own city. ^2 (C)Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. ^(D)When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

³ And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”

⁴ But Jesus, ^(E)knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ⁷ And he arose and departed to his house.

⁸ Now when the multitudes saw it, they ^(F)marveled^[a] and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Matthew the Tax Collector^(G)

^9 (H)As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

^10 (I)Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with ^(J)tax collectors and ^(K)sinners?”

¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ^(L)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, ^(M)but sinners, ^[b]to repentance.”

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting^(N)

¹⁴ Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ^(O)“Why do we and the Pharisees fast ^[c]often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Can ^(P)the ^[d]friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and ^(Q)then they will fast. ¹⁶ No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for ^[e]the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. ¹⁷ Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins ^[f]break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed^(R)

^18 (S)While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” ¹⁹ So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His ^(T)disciples.

^20 (U)And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and ^(V)touched the hem of His garment. ²¹ For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” ²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; ^(W)your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

^23 (X)When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw ^(Y)the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, ²⁴ He said to them, ^(Z)“Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. ²⁵ But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and ^(AA)took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ And the ^(AB)report of this went out into all that land.

Two Blind Men Healed

²⁷ When Jesus departed from there, ^(AC)two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, ^(AD)“Son of David, have mercy on us!”

²⁸ And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, ^(AE)“See that no one knows it.” ^31 (AF)But when they had departed, they ^[g]spread the news about Him in all that ^[h]country.

A Mute Man Speaks

^32 (AG)As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. ³³ And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, ^(AH)“He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

The Compassion of Jesus^(AI)

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, ^(AJ)teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease ^[i]among the people. ^36 (AK)But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were ^[j]weary and scattered, ^(AL)like sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, ^(AM)“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ^38 (AN)Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

The Twelve Apostles^(AO)

10 And ^(AP)when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, ^(AQ)who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and ^[k]Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; ^4 (AR)Simon the ^[l]Cananite, and Judas ^(AS)Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Sending Out the Twelve^(AT)

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ^(AU)“Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of ^(AV)the Samaritans. ^6 (AW)But go rather to the ^(AX)lost sheep of the house of Israel. ^7 (AY)And as you go, preach, saying, ^(AZ)‘The kingdom of heaven ^[m]is at hand.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, ^[n]cleanse the lepers, ^[o]raise the dead, cast out demons. ^(BA)Freely you have received, freely give. ^9 (BB)Provide neither gold nor silver nor ^(BC)copper in your money belts, ¹⁰ nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; ^(BD)for a worker is worthy of his food.

^11 (BE)“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. ¹² And when you go into a household, greet it. ^13 (BF)If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. ^(BG)But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ^14 (BH)And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, ^(BI)shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, ^(BJ)it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

Persecutions Are Coming^(BK)

^16 (BL)“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. ^(BM)Therefore be wise as serpents and ^(BN)harmless^[p] as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men, for ^(BO)they will deliver you up to councils and ^(BP)scourge you in their synagogues. ^18 (BQ)You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ^19 (BR)But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For ^(BS)it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; ^20 (BT)for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

^21 (BU)“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² And ^(BV)you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. ^(BW)But he who endures to the end will be saved. ^23 (BX)When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have ^(BY)gone through the cities of Israel ^(BZ)before the Son of Man comes.

^24 (CA)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If ^(CB)they have called the master of the house ^[q]Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! ²⁶ Therefore do not fear them. ^(CC)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God^(CD)

²⁷ “Whatever I tell you in the dark, ^(CE)speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. ^28 (CF)And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather ^(CG)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^[r]hell. ²⁹ Are not two ^(CH)sparrows sold for a ^[s]copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. ^30 (CI)But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Confess Christ Before Men^(CJ)

^32 (CK)“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, ^(CL)him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. ^33 (CM)But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Christ Brings Division^(CN)

^34 (CO)“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ^(CP)‘set^[t] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ^(CQ)‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ ^37 (CR)He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ^38 (CS)And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ^39 (CT)He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

A Cup of Cold Water^(CU)

^40 (CV)“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ^41 (CW)He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ^42 (CX)And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus^(CY)

11 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to ^(CZ)teach and to preach in their cities.

^2 (DA)And when John had heard ^(DB)in prison about the works of Christ, he ^[u]sent two of his disciples ³ and said to Him, “Are You ^(DC)the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ^5 (DD)The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and ^(DE)the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who is not ^(DF)offended because of Me.”

^7 (DG)As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? ^(DH)A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. ⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, ^(DI)and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ For this is he of whom it is written:

¹¹ “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ^12 (DK)And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. ^13 (DL)For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to receive it, he is ^(DM)Elijah who is to come. ^15 (DN)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

^16 (DO)“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, ¹⁷ and saying:

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a ^[w]winebibber, ^(DP)a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ^(DQ)But wisdom is justified by her ^[x]children.”

Woe to the Impenitent Cities^(DR)

^20 (DS)Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: ²¹ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago ^(DT)in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But I say to you, ^(DU)it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, ^(DV)who^[y] are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴ But I say to you ^(DW)that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

Jesus Gives True Rest^(DX)

^25 (DY)At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(DZ)You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent ^(EA)and have revealed them to babes. ²⁶ Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ^27 (EB)All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. ^(EC)Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ²⁸ Come to ^(ED)Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you ^(EE)and learn from Me, for I am ^[z]gentle and ^(EF)lowly in heart, ^(EG)and you will find rest for your souls. ^30 (EH)For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(EI)

12 At that time ^(EJ)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to ^(EK)pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

³ But He said to them, “Have you not read ^(EL)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how he entered the house of God and ate ^(EM)the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, ^(EN)but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the ^(EO)law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple ^[aa]profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? ⁶ Yet I say to you that in this place there is ^(EP)One greater than the temple. ⁷ But if you had known what this means, ^(EQ)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord ^[ab]even of the Sabbath.”

Healing on the Sabbath^(ER)

^9 (ES)Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, ^(ET)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

¹¹ Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? ¹² Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. ¹⁴ Then ^(EU)the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Behold, My Servant

¹⁵ But when Jesus knew it, ^(EV)He withdrew from there. ^(EW)And great ^[ac]multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. ¹⁶ Yet He ^(EX)warned them not to make Him known, ¹⁷ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

A House Divided Cannot Stand^(FA)

^22 (FB)Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the ^[ad]blind and mute man both spoke and saw. ²³ And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the ^(FC)Son of David?”

^24 (FD)Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by ^[ae]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

²⁵ But Jesus ^(FE)knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. ²⁸ But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, ^(FF)surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. ^29 (FG)Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. ³⁰ He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

The Unpardonable Sin^(FH)

³¹ “Therefore I say to you, ^(FI)every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, ^(FJ)but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. ³² Anyone who ^(FK)speaks a word against the Son of Man, ^(FL)it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

A Tree Known by Its Fruit^(FM)

³³ “Either make the tree good and ^(FN)its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. ^34 (FO)Brood^[af] of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? ^(FP)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ A good man out of the good treasure ^[ag]of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. ³⁶ But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign^(FQ)

^38 (FR)Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

³⁹ But He answered and said to them, “An evil and ^(FS)adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ^40 (FT)For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ^41 (FU)The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and ^(FV)condemn it, ^(FW)because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. ^42 (FX)The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

An Unclean Spirit Returns^(FY)

^43 (FZ)“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, ^(GA)he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. ⁴⁴ Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; ^(GB)and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him^(GC)

⁴⁶ While He was still talking to the multitudes, ^(GD)behold, His mother and ^(GE)brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. ⁴⁷ Then one said to Him, “Look, ^(GF)Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”

⁴⁸ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My ^(GG)brothers! ⁵⁰ For ^(GH)whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower^(GI)

13 On the same day Jesus went out of the house ^(GJ)and sat by the sea. ^2 (GK)And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that ^(GL)He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

³ Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: ^(GM)“Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. ⁸ But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some ^(GN)a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ^9 (GO)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables^(GP)

¹⁰ And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

¹¹ He answered and said to them, “Because ^(GQ)it has been given to you to know the ^[ah]mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ^12 (GR)For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

¹⁶ But ^(GX)blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; ¹⁷ for assuredly, I say to you ^(GY)that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained^(GZ)

^18 (HA)“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word ^(HB)of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. ²⁰ But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately ^(HC)receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when ^(HD)tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately ^(HE)he stumbles. ²² Now ^(HF)he who received seed ^(HG)among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears ^(HH)fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

²⁴ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. ²⁶ But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but ^(HI)gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed^(HJ)

³¹ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ^(HK)“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, ³² which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a ^(HL)tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

The Parable of the Leaven^(HM)

^33 (HN)Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three ^[aj]measures of meal till ^(HO)it was all leavened.”

Prophecy and the Parables

^34 (HP)All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, ³⁵ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

The Parable of the Tares Explained

³⁶ Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”

³⁷ He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ^38 (HS)The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are ^(HT)the sons of the wicked one. ³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil, ^(HU)the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, ^(HV)and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, ^42 (HW)and will cast them into the furnace of fire. ^(HX)There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ^43 (HY)Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. ^(HZ)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

⁴⁴ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and ^(IA)sells all that he has and ^(IB)buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, ⁴⁶ who, when he had found ^(IC)one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Dragnet

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and ^(ID)gathered some of every kind, ⁴⁸ which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, ^(IE)separate the wicked from among the just, ⁵⁰ and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

^51 [ak]Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”

They said to Him, “Yes, ^[al]Lord.”

⁵² Then He said to them, “Therefore every ^[am]scribe instructed ^[an]concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure ^(IF)things new and old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth^(IG)

⁵³ Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. ^54 (IH)When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ^55 (II)Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And ^(IJ)His brothers ^(IK)James, ^[ao]Joses, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶ And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ So they ^(IL)were offended at Him.

But Jesus said to them, ^(IM)“A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” ⁵⁸ Now ^(IN)He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.