Mark 4
New King James Version
The Parable of the Sower(A)
4 And (B)again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, (C)and said to them in His teaching:
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds [a]of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no [b]crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
9 And He said [c]to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Purpose of Parables(D)
10 (E)But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to (F)know the [d]mystery of the kingdom of God; but to (G)those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that
(H)‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
The Parable of the Sower Explained(I)
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 (J)The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the (K)cares of this world, (L)the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, [e]accept it, and bear (M)fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Light Under a Basket(N)
21 (O)Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 (P)For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 (Q)If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. (R)With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 (S)For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 And He said, (T)“The kingdom of God is as if a man should [f]scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and (U)grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth (V)yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately (W)he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed(X)
30 Then He said, (Y)“To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 (Z)And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, (AA)He explained all things to His disciples.
Wind and Wave Obey Jesus(AB)
35 (AC)On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, (AD)“Teacher, (AE)do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and (AF)rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, (AG)“Peace,[g] be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? (AH)How[h] is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Mark 4
New American Standard Bible
Parable of the Sower and Soils
4 Again (A)He began to teach (B)by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that (C)He got into a boat on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And He was teaching them many things in (D)parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, 3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.” 9 And He was saying, “(E)He who has ears to hear, [a]let him hear.”
10 As soon as He was alone, [b]His followers, along with the twelve disciples, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but for (F)those who are outside, everything comes (G)in parables, 12 so that (H)while seeing they may see, and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear, and not understand, otherwise they might return and it would be forgiven them.”
Explanation of the Parable
13 (I)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 (J)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 [c]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 (K)the [d]world, and the (L)deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it [e]becomes unfruitful. 20 And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and (M)bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.”
21 And He was saying to them, “(N)A lamp is not brought to be put under a [f]basket, or under a bed, is it? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 (O)For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 (P)If anyone has ears to hear, [g]let him hear.” 24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. [h](Q)By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 (R)For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Parable of the Seed
26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up daily, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the stalk, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 Now when the crop permits, he immediately [i](S)puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 (T)And He was saying, “How shall we [j](U)picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is the smallest of all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants, and forms large branches, with the result that (V)the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”
33 And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to [k]understand it; 34 and He did not speak to them (W)without a parable; but He was (X)explaining everything privately to His own disciples.
Jesus Stills the Sea
35 (Y)On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” 36 After dismissing the crowd, they *took Him along with them (Z)in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And a fierce gale of wind *developed, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling with water. 38 And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and (AA)rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and [l]it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you [m]afraid? (AB)Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Footnotes
- Mark 4:9 Or hear! or listen!
- Mark 4:10 Lit those about Him
- Mark 4:17 I.e., from the faith
- Mark 4:19 Or age
- Mark 4:19 Or proves to be unfruitful
- Mark 4:21 Lit peck-measure
- Mark 4:23 Or hear! or listen!
- Mark 4:24 Lit By what measure you measure
- Mark 4:29 Lit sends forth
- Mark 4:30 Lit compare
- Mark 4:33 Lit hear
- Mark 4:39 Lit a great calm occurred
- Mark 4:40 Lit cowardly
Marko 4
Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero
Fanizo la Wofesa Mbewu
4 Nthawi inanso Yesu atakhala mʼmbali mwa nyanja, anayamba kuphunzitsa. Gulu lalikulu la anthu linasonkhana momuzungulira kotero kuti Iye analowa mʼbwato lomwe linali pa nyanja nakhalamo, anthu onse ali pa mtunda mʼmbali mwa madzi. 2 Anawaphunzitsa zinthu zambiri mʼmafanizo, ndipo mʼchiphunzitso chake anati: 3 “Tamverani! Mlimi anapita kukafesa mbewu zake. 4 Akufesa, mbewu zina zinagwera mʼmbali mwa njira, ndipo mbalame zinabwera ndi kuzidya. 5 Zina zinagwa pa malo a miyala pamene panalibe dothi lambiri. Zinamera mofulumira chifukwa panalibe dothi lambiri. 6 Koma dzuwa litakwera, mbewuzo zinapserera, ndipo zinawuma chifukwa zinalibe mizu. 7 Mbewu zina zinagwa pa minga, ndipo mingayo inayanga ndi kuzirepheretsa kukula. 8 Mbewu zinanso zinagwa pa nthaka yabwino ndipo zinamera, zinakula ndi kubereka zipatso, zina zochuluka makumi atatu, zina makumi asanu ndi limodzi ndi zina 100.”
9 Pamenepo Yesu anati, “Amene ali ndi makutu akumva, amve.”
10 Ali yekha, ophunzira ndi ena omuzungulira, anamufunsa za mafanizo. 11 Iye anawawuza kuti, “Chinsinsi cha ufumu wa Mulungu chapatsidwa kwa inu. Koma kwa amene ali kunja zinthu zonse zinenedwa mʼmafanizo: 12 kotero kuti,
“ ‘Kupenya mudzapenya koma osaona kanthu,
kumva mudzamva koma osamvetsetsa,
kuti mwina angatembenuke ndi kukhululukidwa!’ ”
13 Pamenepo Yesu anawawuza kuti, “Kodi simukulimvetsa fanizoli? Kodi nanga mudzazindikira bwanji fanizo lina lililonse? 14 Wofesa amafesa mawu. 15 Anthu ena ali ngati mbewu za mʼmbali mwa njira, mʼmene mawu amafesedwamo. Akangowamva, Satana amabwera ndi kuchotsa mawu amene anafesedwa mwa iwo. 16 Ena, monga mbewu zofesedwa pa miyala, amamva mawu ndipo nthawi yomweyo amawalandira ndi chimwemwe. 17 Koma popeza alibe mizu, amakhala kwa kanthawi kochepa. Mavuto kapena masautso akafika chifukwa cha mawu, amagwa mofulumira. 18 Komabe ena, monga mbewu zofesedwa pakati pa minga, amamva mawu; 19 koma nkhawa zamoyo uno, chinyengo cha chuma ndi zokhumba za zinthu zina zimabwera ndi kutchinga mawu, ndipo amawachititsa kukhala osabala chipatso. 20 Ena, ngati mbewu zofesedwa pa nthaka yabwino, amamva mawu, nawalandira, ndi kubereka zipatso zokwanira makumi atatu, makumi asanu ndi limodzi, kapena ngakhale 100 kuwonjezera pa zomwe zinafesedwa.”
Fanizo la Nyale
21 Iye anawawuza kuti, “Kodi umatenga nyale ndi kuyiika pansi pa mbiya kapena pansi pa bedi? Mʼmalo mwake, kodi simuyika pa choyikapo chake? 22 Pakuti chilichonse chobisika chidzayenera kuwululika, ndi chilichonse chachinsinsi chidzayenera kuonekera poyera. 23 Ngati wina ali ndi makutu akumva, amve.”
24 Anapitiriza nati, “Ganizirani mosamala zimene mukumva, ndi muyeso umene mugwiritsa ntchito, mudzayesedwa nawo, ndipo ngakhale kwambiri. 25 Amene ali nazo adzapatsidwa zochuluka; amene alibe, ngakhale zimene ali nazo zidzachotsedwa kwa iwo.”
Fanizo la Mbewu Imene Ikukula
26 Iye anatinso, “Umu ndi mmene ulili ufumu wa Mulungu. Munthu amafesa mbewu mʼnthaka. 27 Usiku ndi usana, kaya agona kapena adzuka, mbewu imamera ndi kukula, ngakhale sadziwa mmene zimachitikira. 28 Nthaka pa yokha imatulutsa mbewu, umayamba mʼmera, kenaka ngala, kenaka mbewu yokhwima mʼngalayo. 29 Mbewuyo ikangokhwima, amayimweta chifukwa nthawi yokolola yakwana.”
Fanizo la Mbewu ya Mpiru
30 Ndipo anatinso, “Kodi tinene kuti ufumu wa Mulungu ufanana ndi chiyani, kapena ndi fanizo lotani limene tidzagwiritsa ntchito pakuwufotokozera? 31 Uli ngati mbewu ya mpiru imene ndi mbewu yayingʼono kwambiri yomwe mumadzala mʼnthaka. 32 Koma ikadzalidwa, imakula ndi kukhala yayikulu koposa mbewu zina zonse za mʼmunda ndipo mʼnthambi zake zazikulu mbalame zamlengalenga zimadzapuma pa mthunzi wake.”
33 Ndi mafanizo ambiri onga awa Yesu anayankhula mawu kwa iwo, monga mmene akanatha kumvetsa. 34 Iye sananene kanthu kwa iwo osagwiritsa ntchito fanizo. Koma ali yekha ndi ophunzira ake, ankawatanthauzira zonse.
Yesu Aletsa Namondwe
35 Tsiku limenelo atafika madzulo, anawuza ophunzira ake kuti, “Tiyeni tiwolokere tsidya lina.” 36 Atasiya gulu la anthu mʼmbuyo, anamutenga Iye, napita naye monga momwe anali mʼbwatolo. Panalinso mabwato ena pamodzi ndi Iye. 37 Mphepo yamkuntho inabuka, ndipo mafunde anawomba bwatolo, kotero kuti linali pafupi kumira. 38 Pa nthawi imeneyi Yesu anali akugona atatsamira pilo kumbuyo kwa bwato. Ophunzira anamudzutsa nati kwa Iye, “Aphunzitsi, kodi simukusamala kuti timira?”
39 Yesu anauka nadzudzula mphepo nati kwa mafunde, “Chete! Khala bata!” Pamenepo mphepo inaleka ndipo kunachita bata.
40 Iye anati kwa ophunzira ake, “Muli ndi mantha chifukwa chiyani? Kodi mukanalibe chikhulupiriro?”
41 Iwo anachita mantha nafunsana wina ndi mnzake kuti, “Uyu ndani? Ngakhale mphepo ndi nyanja zimumvera Iye!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Word of God in Contemporary Chichewa Copyright © 2002, 2016 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Mwini © 2002, 2016 ndi Biblica, Inc.® Kugwiritsa ntchito mwachilolezo. Umwini ndi otetezedwa pa dziko lonse.