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24 Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed [a]tares also among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 And the [b]servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? 28 And he said unto them, [c]An enemy hath done this. And the [d]servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.

31 Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof.

33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three [e]measures of meal, till it was all leavened.

34 All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake he nothing unto them: 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

[f]I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the foundation [g]of the world.

36 Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37 And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is [h]the end of the world; and the reapers are angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in [i]the end of the world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, 42 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, [j]let him hear.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:25 Or, darnel
  2. Matthew 13:27 Greek bondservants.
  3. Matthew 13:28 Greek A man that is an enemy.
  4. Matthew 13:28 Greek bondservants.
  5. Matthew 13:33 The word in the Greek denotes the Hebrew seah, a measure containing nearly a peck and a half.
  6. Matthew 13:35 Ps. 78:2.
  7. Matthew 13:35 Many ancient authorities omit of the world.
  8. Matthew 13:39 Or, the consummation of the age
  9. Matthew 13:40 Or, the consummation of the age
  10. Matthew 13:43 See verse 9.

The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(A) a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”(B)

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast(C)(D)

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(E) a mustard seed,(F) which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”(G)

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(H) yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour(I) until it worked all through the dough.”(J)

34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.(K) 35 So was fulfilled(L) what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”[b](M)

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable(N) of the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.(O) 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,(P) 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest(Q) is the end of the age,(R) and the harvesters are angels.(S)

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man(T) will send out his angels,(U) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(V) 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun(W) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.(X)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:33 Or about 27 kilograms
  2. Matthew 13:35 Psalm 78:2