Isaiah 55:10-13

English Standard Version

¹⁰^(A)“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    ^(B)giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but ^(C)it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹²^(D)“For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
^(E)the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³^(F)Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Read full chapter

Romans 8:12-17

English Standard Version

Heirs with Christ

¹²So then, brothers,^[a] we are debtors, ^(A)not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you ^(B)put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴For all who are ^(C)led by the Spirit of God are ^(D)sons^[b] of God. ¹⁵For ^(E)you did not receive ^(F)the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of ^(G)adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ^(H)“Abba! Father!” ¹⁶^(I)The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then ^(J)heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ^(K)provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Romans 8:12 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 29
Romans 8:14 See discussion on “sons” in the Preface

Matthew 13:1-9

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house ^(A)and sat beside the sea. ²And great crowds gathered about him, ^(B)so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³And ^(C)he told them many things in parables, saying: ^(D)“A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶but ^(E)when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, ^(F)they withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among ^(G)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some ^(H)a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹^(I)He who has ears,^[a] let him hear.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Matthew 13:9 Some manuscripts add here and in verse 43 to hear

Matthew 13:18-23

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹⁸^(A)“Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹When anyone hears the word of ^(B)the kingdom and ^(C)does not understand it, ^(D)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately ^(E)receives it with joy, ²¹yet he has no root in himself, but ^(F)endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately ^(G)he falls away.^[a] ²²As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but ^(H)the cares of ^(I)the world and ^(J)the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and ^(K)understands it. He indeed ^(L)bears fruit and yields, in one case ^(M)a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”