10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret[a] of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

‘When they see what I do,
    they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
    they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
    and be forgiven.’[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 4:11 Greek mystery.
  2. 4:12 Isa 6:9-10 (Greek version).

The Reason for the Parables

10 And when he was alone, those around him together with the twelve began asking[a] him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been granted the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything is in parables, 12 so that

they may look closely[b] and not perceive,
    and they may listen carefully[c] and not understand,
lest they turn and it be forgiven them.’”[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:10 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began asking”)
  2. Mark 4:12 Literally “seeing they may see”
  3. Mark 4:12 Literally “hearing they may hear”
  4. Mark 4:12 A quotation from Isa 6:9–10