Matthew 13:1-11

Christian Standard Bible

The Parable of the Sower

13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.^{(A) 2} Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.^(B)

³ Then he told them many things in parables,^(C) saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.^{(D) 9} Let anyone who has ears^[a] listen.”^(E)

Why Jesus Used Parables

¹⁰ Then the disciples^(F) came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” ^(G)

¹¹ He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,^(H) but it has not been given to them.