Mark 4:4-13

English Standard Version

⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And ^(A)when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, ^(B)it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among ^(C)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸ And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and ^(D)a hundredfold.” ⁹ And he said, ^(E)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰ And ^(F)when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ And he said to them, ^(G)“To you has been given ^(H)the secret of the kingdom of God, but for ^(I)those outside everything is in parables, ^12 (J)so that

^13 (M)And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?