24 [a]Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man which sowed good seed in his field.

25 But while men slept, there came his enemy and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26 And when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 Then came the servants of the householder, and said unto him, Master, sowest thou not good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 And he said unto them, Some envious man hath done this. Then the servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay, lest while ye go about to gather the tares, ye pluck up also with them the wheat.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and in time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye first the tares, and bind them in sheaves to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

31 (A)[b]Another parable he put forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man taketh and soweth in his field:

32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and it is a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and build in the branches thereof.

33 (B)Another parable spake he to them, The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman taketh and hideth in three pecks of meal, till all be leavened.

34 (C)All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without parables spake he not unto them,

35 That it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Prophet, saying, (D)I will open my mouth in parables, and will utter the things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

36 Then sent Jesus the multitude away, and went into the house. And his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of that field.

37 [c]Then answered he, and said to them, He that soweth the good seed, is the son of man,

38 And the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom, and the tares are the children of that wicked one.

39 And the enemy that soweth them, is the devil, (E)and the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers be the Angels.

40 As then the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his Angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity,

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43 (F)Then shall the just men shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:24 Christ showeth in another parable of the evil seed mixed with the good, that the Church shall never be free and quit from offences, both in doctrine and manners, until the day appointed for the restoring of all things to come, and therefore the faithful have to arm themselves with patience and constancy.
  2. Matthew 13:31 God beginneth his kingdom with very small beginnings, to the end that by the growing on of it, beside the expectation and hope of all men, his mighty power and working may be the more set forth.
  3. Matthew 13:37 He expoundeth the former parable of the good and evil seed.

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