The Parable of the Sower^(A)

13 On the same day Jesus went out of the house ^(B)and sat by the sea. ^2 (C)And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that ^(D)He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

³ Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: ^(E)“Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. ⁸ But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some ^(F)a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ^9 (G)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables^(H)

¹⁰ And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

¹¹ He answered and said to them, “Because ^(I)it has been given to you to know the ^[a]mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ^12 (J)For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

¹⁶ But ^(P)blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; ¹⁷ for assuredly, I say to you ^(Q)that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained^(R)

^18 (S)“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word ^(T)of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. ²⁰ But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately ^(U)receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when ^(V)tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately ^(W)he stumbles. ²² Now ^(X)he who received seed ^(Y)among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears ^(Z)fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Leaving All to Follow Christ^(A)

²⁵ Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, ^26 (B)“If anyone comes to Me ^(C)and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, ^(D)yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ And ^(E)whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. ²⁸ For ^(F)which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— ²⁹ lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? ³¹ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. ³³ So likewise, whoever of you ^(G)does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

²⁹ His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!

The Seventy Return with Joy

¹⁷ Then ^(A)the ^[a]seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

¹⁸ And He said to them, ^(B)“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, ^(C)I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰ Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but ^[b]rather rejoice because ^(D)your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit^(E)

^21 (F)In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ^22 (G)All^[c] things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and ^(H)no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

²³ Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, ^(I)“Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; ²⁴ for I tell you ^(J)that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

^28 (A)Then Peter said, “See, we have left ^[a]all and followed You.”

²⁹ So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(B)there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ^30 (C)who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

^38 (A)He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ^(B)out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much ^(A)fruit; for without Me you can do ^(B)nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, ^(C)he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words ^(D)abide in you, ^(E)you^[a] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ^8 (F)By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; ^(G)so you will be My disciples.

^16 (A)You did not choose Me, but I chose you and ^(B)appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father ^(C)in My name He may give you.

⁵ And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this ^[a]precept. ⁶ But from the beginning of the creation, God ^(A)‘made them male and female.’ ^7 (B)‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,