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Mark 4
Living Bible
Mark 4
Living Bible
4 Once again an immense crowd gathered around him on the beach as he was teaching, so he got into a boat and sat down and talked from there. 2 His usual method of teaching was to tell the people stories. One of them went like this:
3 “Listen! A farmer decided to sow some grain. As he scattered it across his field, 4 some of it fell on a path, and the birds came and picked it off the hard ground and ate it. 5-6 Some fell on thin soil with underlying rock. It grew up quickly enough, but soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and crowded the young plants so that they produced no grain. 8 But some of the seeds fell into good soil and yielded thirty times as much as he had planted—some of it even sixty or a hundred times as much! 9 If you have ears, listen!”
10 Afterwards, when he was alone with the Twelve and with his other disciples, they asked him, “What does your story mean?”
11-12 He replied, “You are permitted to know some truths about the Kingdom of God that are hidden to those outside the Kingdom:
‘Though they see and hear, they will not understand or turn to God, or be forgiven for their sins.’
13
14 “The farmer I talked about is anyone who brings God’s message to others, trying to plant good seed within their lives. 15 The hard pathway, where some of the seed fell, represents the hard hearts of some of those who hear God’s message; Satan comes at once to try to make them forget it. 16 The rocky soil represents the hearts of those who hear the message with joy, 17 but, like young plants in such soil, their roots don’t go very deep, and though at first they get along fine, as soon as persecution begins, they wilt.
18 “The thorny ground represents the hearts of people who listen to the Good News and receive it, 19 but all too quickly the attractions of this world and the delights of wealth, and the search for success and lure of nice things come in and crowd out God’s message from their hearts, so that no crop is produced.
20 “But the good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God’s message and produce a plentiful harvest for God—thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as was planted in their hearts.” 21 Then he asked them, “When someone lights a lamp, does he put a box over it to shut out the light? Of course not! The light couldn’t be seen or used. A lamp is placed on a stand to shine and be useful.
22 “All that is now hidden will someday come to light. 23 If you have ears, listen! 24 And be sure to put into practice what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand what I tell you. 25 To him who has shall be given; from him who has not shall be taken away even what he has.
26 “Here is another story illustrating what the Kingdom of God is like:
“A farmer sowed his field 27 and went away, and as the days went by, the seeds grew and grew without his help. 28 For the soil made the seeds grow. First a leaf blade pushed through, and later the heads of wheat formed, and finally the grain ripened, 29 and then the farmer came at once with his sickle and harvested it.”
30 Jesus asked, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story shall I use to illustrate it? 31-32 It is like a tiny mustard seed! Though this is one of the smallest of seeds, yet it grows to become one of the largest of plants, with long branches where birds can build their nests and be sheltered.”
33 He used many such illustrations to teach the people as much as they were ready to understand.[a] 34 In fact, he taught only by illustrations in his public teaching, but afterwards, when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain his meaning to them.
35 As evening fell, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took him just as he was and started out, leaving the crowds behind (though other boats followed). 37 But soon a terrible storm arose. High waves began to break into the boat until it was nearly full of water and about to sink. 38 Jesus was asleep at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. Frantically they wakened him, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to drown?”
39 Then he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Quiet down!” And the wind fell, and there was a great calm!
40 And he asked them, “Why were you so fearful? Don’t you even yet have confidence in me?”
41 And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, “Who is this man, that even the winds and seas obey him?”
Footnotes
- Mark 4:33 as much as they were ready to understand, literally, “as they were able to hear.”
馬可福音 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
馬可福音 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
撒種的比喻
4 耶穌又到湖邊講道，周圍聚集了許多人，耶穌只好上到湖邊的船上坐下，眾人都站在岸上。 2 耶穌用比喻教導他們許多事，在教導中祂說： 3 「聽著！有一個農夫出去撒種。 4 撒種的時候，有些種子落在路旁，被飛鳥吃掉了； 5 有些落在石頭地上，因為泥土不深，種子很快就發芽了， 6 然而因為沒有根，被太陽一曬就枯萎了； 7 有些落在荊棘叢中，荊棘長起來便把嫩苗擠住了，以致不能結實； 8 有些落在沃土裡，就發芽生長，結出果實，收成多達三十倍、六十倍、一百倍！」 9 然後祂說：「有耳可聽的，都應當聽。」
10 當耶穌獨自一人的時候，十二使徒和追隨祂的人來請教比喻的意思。 11 耶穌說：「上帝國的奧祕只讓你們知道，對於外人，我只用比喻， 12 使他們『看了又看，卻不領悟；聽了又聽，卻不明白，免得他們回心轉意，得到赦免。』」
13 耶穌又對他們說：「你們不明白這個比喻，又怎能明白其他比喻呢？ 14 農夫撒的是上帝的道。 15 種子落在路旁，是指人聽了道，撒旦立刻過來奪去了撒在他們心裡的道。 16 種子落在石頭地上，是指人聽了道後，立刻歡喜地接受了， 17 但他們心裡沒有根基，不過是暫時接受，一旦為道遭受患難和迫害，就立刻放棄了。 18 種子落在荊棘叢中，是指人雖然聽過道， 19 但生活的憂慮、錢財的迷惑和其他慾望把道擠住了，以致不能結出果實。 20 種子落在沃土裡，是指人聽了道，領受了，又結出果實，收成多達三十倍、六十倍、甚至一百倍。」
燈的比喻
21 耶穌繼續說：「人會把燈拿來放在籃子底下或床底下嗎？當然不會，他一定會把它放在燈臺上。 22 隱藏的事是不能掩蓋的，終會顯露出來。 23 有耳可聽的，就應當聽。」 24 耶穌又說：「要好好思想你們所聽到的，你們用什麼量器量給人，就用什麼量器量給你們，甚至要多給你們。 25 因為凡有的，還要給他更多；凡沒有的，連他僅有的也要奪去！」
種子生長的比喻
26 祂又說：「上帝的國就像一個人在地上撒種。 27 他天天日出而作，日落而息。種子就在他不知不覺中漸漸發芽長大。 28 大地會使種子生長，先發苗後吐穗，最終結出飽滿的籽粒。 29 莊稼成熟後，他就拿起鐮刀來收割，因為收成的時候到了。」
芥菜種的比喻
30 耶穌說：「我們拿什麼比作上帝的國呢？用什麼比喻來解釋呢？ 31 上帝的國就像一粒芥菜種。它是種子中最小的， 32 但種在地裡，卻能長得比各樣蔬菜都大，有粗大的枝條，可以讓飛鳥在它的樹蔭中築巢。」
33 耶穌用了許多類似的比喻，按照眾人所能領悟的，把上帝的道講給他們聽。 34 祂總是用比喻對他們講論，只有單獨和門徒在一起的時候，才把一切解釋清楚。
平息風浪
35 那天晚上，耶穌對門徒說：「我們渡到對面去吧。」 36 他們就離開眾人，上了耶穌乘坐的船，一起渡到湖的對岸，還有其他船隻跟著去。 37 忽然，湖面上狂風大作，波浪撞擊船身，船內幾乎灌滿了水。 38 耶穌卻還在船尾枕著枕頭睡覺。門徒叫醒了祂，說：「老師，我們快淹死了，你怎麼不管呢？」
39 耶穌起來斥責狂風，對著湖面說：「靜下來！停下來！」於是就風平浪靜了。 40 祂對門徒說：「你們為什麼這樣害怕呢？你們還是沒有信心嗎？」
41 他們極其害怕，彼此議論說：「祂到底是誰？連風浪都聽祂的！」
Mark 4
New International Version
Mark 4
New International Version
The Parable of the Sower(A)(B)
4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.(C) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables,(D) and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.(E) 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”(F)
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”(G)
10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God(H) has been given to you. But to those on the outside(I) everything is said in parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”(J)
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word.(K) 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan(L) comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth(M) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
A Lamp on a Stand
21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?(N) 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.(O) 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”(P)
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.(Q) 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”(R)
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.(S) A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”(T)
The Parable of the Mustard Seed(U)
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,(V) or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.(W) 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable.(X) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
Jesus Calms the Storm(Y)
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.(Z) There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”(AA)
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Footnotes
- Mark 4:12 Isaiah 6:9,10
Living Bible (TLB)
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.