Matthew 13
New American Standard Bible
Jesus Teaches in Parables
13 On that day Jesus had gone out of (A)the house and was sitting (B)by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so (C)He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.
3 And He told them many things in (D)parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 Others fell [a]among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a (E)hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. 9 (F)The one who has ears, [b]let him hear.”
An Explanation for Parables
10 And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 And [c]Jesus answered them, “(G)To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 (H)For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while (I)seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And [d]in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘[e](J)You shall keep on listening, [f]but shall not understand;
And [g]you shall keep on looking, [h]but shall not perceive;
15 (K)For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their heart, and return,
And I would heal them.’
16 (L)But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that (M)many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The Sower Explained
18 “(N)Listen then to the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears (O)the [i]word of the kingdom and does not understand it, (P)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. 20 The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the [j]word, immediately he [k](Q)falls away. 22 And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of (R)the [l]world and the (S)deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it [m]becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some (T)a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”
Weeds among Wheat
24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “(U)The kingdom of heaven [n]is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [o]weeds among the wheat, and left. 26 And when the [p]wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident. 27 And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? [q]How then does it have weeds?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘[r]An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he *said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but (V)gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
The Mustard Seed
31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “(W)The kingdom of heaven is like (X)a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that (Y)the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
The Leaven
33 He spoke another parable to them: “(Z)The kingdom of heaven is like [s]leaven, which a woman took and hid in (AA)three [t]sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak anything to them (AB)without a parable. 35 This was so that what was spoken through the prophet would be [u]fulfilled:
“(AC)I will open My mouth in parables;
I will proclaim things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
The Weeds Explained
36 Then He left the crowds and went into (AD)the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “(AE)Explain to us the parable of the [v]weeds of the field.” 37 And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is (AF)the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are (AG)the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are (AH)the sons of (AI)the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is (AJ)the [w]end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at (AK)the [x]end of the age. 41 (AL)The Son of Man (AM)will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom [y]all (AN)stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and they (AO)will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place (AP)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 (AQ)Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (AR)The one who has ears, [z]let him hear.
Hidden Treasure
44 “(AS)The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from [aa]joy over it he goes and (AT)sells everything that he has, and buys that field.
A Costly Pearl
45 “Again, (AU)the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.
A Dragnet
47 “Again, (AV)the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at (AW)the [ab]end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and they (AX)will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place (AY)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And [ac]Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure new things and old.”
Jesus Revisits Nazareth
53 (AZ)When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54 And (BA)He came to [ad]His hometown and (BB)began teaching them in their synagogue, with the result that (BC)they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man acquire this wisdom and these [ae]miraculous powers? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is (BD)His mother not called Mary, and His (BE)brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 And (BF)His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man acquire all these things?” 57 And they took (BG)offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “(BH)A prophet is not dishonored except in his [af]hometown and in his own household.” 58 And He did not do many [ag]miracles there because of their unbelief.
Footnotes
- Matthew 13:7 Lit upon
- Matthew 13:9 Or hear! Or listen!
- Matthew 13:11 Lit He
- Matthew 13:14 Lit for them
- Matthew 13:14 Lit With a hearing you shall hear; a Heb idiom
- Matthew 13:14 Lit and
- Matthew 13:14 Lit Seeing you shall see
- Matthew 13:14 Lit and
- Matthew 13:19 I.e., message
- Matthew 13:21 I.e., message
- Matthew 13:21 I.e., from the faith
- Matthew 13:22 Or age
- Matthew 13:22 Or proves to be unfruitful
- Matthew 13:24 Lit has been compared to
- Matthew 13:25 Prob. darnel, a weed resembling wheat
- Matthew 13:26 Lit grass
- Matthew 13:27 Lit From where
- Matthew 13:28 Lit A hostile person
- Matthew 13:33 I.e., fermented dough
- Matthew 13:33 A Gr term for a Heb measure, totaling about 48 lb. or 22 kg of flour
- Matthew 13:35 Lit fulfilled, saying
- Matthew 13:36 Prob. darnel, a weed resembling wheat
- Matthew 13:39 Or consummation
- Matthew 13:40 Or consummation
- Matthew 13:41 Or everything that is offensive
- Matthew 13:43 Or hear! Or listen!
- Matthew 13:44 Or his joy, he goes
- Matthew 13:49 Or consummation
- Matthew 13:52 Lit He
- Matthew 13:54 Or His own part of the country
- Matthew 13:54 Or miracles
- Matthew 13:57 Or own part of the country
- Matthew 13:58 Or works of power
Matthew 13
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Jesus Teaches The Crowds Using Parables
13 On that day Jesus, having gone out of the house, sat beside the sea. 2 And large crowds were gathered-together with Him so that He, having gotten into a boat, sits-down [to teach]. And the whole crowd was standing on the shore. 3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying—
The Sower’s Seed Falls On Different Kinds of Soil. Only The Good Soil Produces Fruit
“Behold— the one sowing went out that he might sow. 4 And during his sowing, some seeds fell along the road. And having come, the birds ate them up. 5 And others fell on the rocky[a] places where they were not having much soil. And immediately they sprang-up, because of not having a depth of soil. 6 But the sun having risen, they were scorched. And because of not having a root, they were dried-up. 7 And others fell on the thorns. And the thorns came up and choked[b] them. 8 And others fell on the good soil and were giving fruit— one a hundred, and another sixty, and another thirty. 9 Let the one having ears, hear”.
Jesus Tells His Disciples He Uses Parables To Both Hide And Reveal The Truth
10 And having come to Him, the disciples said to Him, “For what reason are You speaking to them in parables?” 11 And the One, having responded, said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know[c] the mysteries[d] of the kingdom of the heavens. But it has not been given to those ones. 12 For whoever has— it will be given to him, and he will be caused to abound. But whoever does not have— even what he has will be taken-away from him. 13 For this reason I am speaking to them in parables— because while seeing, they are not seeing; and while hearing, they are not hearing, nor understanding. 14 And the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled in them, the one[e] saying [in Isa 6:9-10]: ‘In hearing, you will hear and by no means understand. And while seeing, you will see and by no means perceive. 15 For the heart of this people became dull[f], and they hardly[g] heard with their ears, and they closed their eyes that[h] they might not ever see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand in their heart and turn-back, and I shall heal[i] them’. 16 But blessed[j] are your eyes because they are seeing, and your ears, because they are hearing. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous ones desired to experience[k] the things which you are seeing, and they did not experience them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, and they did not hear them.
Jesus Explains The Parable of The Sower To His Disciples
18 “You therefore, hear the parable of the one having sown: 19 Anyone hearing the word[l] of the kingdom and not understanding it— the evil one comes and snatches-away the thing having been sown in his heart. This person is the one having been sown the seed along the road. 20 And the one having been sown the seed on the rocky places— this person is the one hearing the word and immediately receiving it with joy. 21 And he does not have a root in himself, but is temporary[m]. And affliction or persecution having come about because of the word— immediately he is caused-to-fall. 22 And the one having been sown the seed into the thorns— this person is the one hearing the word, and the anxiety[n] of the age[o] and the deceitfulness[p] of riches is choking the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one having been sown the seed on the good soil— this person is the one hearing the word and understanding[q] it, who indeed[r] is bearing-fruit[s] and producing: one a hundred, and another sixty, and another thirty”.
A Field Is Sown With Good And Bad Seed: At Harvest The Weeds Will Be Burned
24 He put-before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens became-like[t] a man having sown good seed in his field. 25 But during the men’s sleeping, his enemy came and re-sowed[u] darnel[v] between the wheat, and went away. 26 Now when the grass budded and produced fruit[w], then the darnel appeared also. 27 And having come to him, the slaves of the house-master said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then from where does it have the darnel?’ 28 And the one said to them, ‘A hostile man did this’. And the slaves say to him, ‘Then do you want us, having gone, to collect them?’ 29 But the one says, ‘No, that while collecting the darnel, you may not perhaps uproot the wheat together with them. 30 Permit both to grow together until the harvest. And at the time of the harvest I will say to the harvesters, “Collect first the darnel, and bind them into bundles so-as to burn them up. But gather the wheat into my barn”’”.
The Mustard Seed: God’s Kingdom Will Start Very Small And Grow Very Large
31 He put-before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a seed of a mustard-plant, which having taken, a man sowed in his field— 32 which is smaller than all the seeds, but when it grows is larger than the garden-plants. And it becomes a tree[x], so that the birds of the heaven come and are nesting in its branches”.
Like Leaven In Bread, God’s Kingdom Will Permeate The World
33 He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which having taken, a woman concealed[y] into three measures[z] of wheat-flour until which time the whole thing was leavened”.
Jesus Spoke In Parables In Fulfillment of Psalm 78:2
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. And He was speaking nothing to them apart from a parable, 35 so that the thing might be fulfilled having been spoken through the prophet saying “I will open My mouth in parables. I will utter things having been hidden since the foundation of the world” [Ps 78:2].
Jesus Teaches His Disciples Using Parables
36 Then, having left the crowds, He went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Make-clear to us the parable of the darnel of the field”. 37 And the One, having responded, said—
Jesus Explains The Parable of The Good And Bad Seed Sown In The Field
“The one sowing the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 And the field is the world. And the good seed— these are the sons of [aa] the kingdom. And the darnel are the sons of the evil one. 39 And the enemy having sown them is the devil. And the harvest is the conclusion of the age. And the harvesters are angels. 40 Therefore, just as the darnel is collected and burned up with fire, so it will be at the conclusion of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will collect out of His kingdom all the causes-of-falling and the ones doing lawlessness. 42 And they will throw them into the furnace of [ab] fire. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth. 43 Then the righteous ones will shine-forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let the one having ears, hear.
God’s Kingdom Is Like a Hidden Treasure Worth Selling All You Have To Obtain
44 “The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure having been hidden in the field, which having found, a man hid. And from his joy[ac], he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls. 46 And having found one very-valuable pearl, having gone, he has sold all that he was having, and he bought it.
God’s Kingdom Is Like a Net Catching Every Kind of Fish. The Bad Are Thrown Out
47 “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a drag-net[ad] having been cast into the sea and having gathered fish of every kind— 48 which, when it was filled, having pulled it up on the shore, and having sat-down, they collected the good ones into containers and threw the bad[ae] ones outside. 49 So it will be at the conclusion of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the evil ones out of the midst of the righteous ones. 50 And they will throw them into the furnace of fire. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth.
Teachers in My Kingdom Will Expound From a Treasure of Old And New Things
51 “Did you understand all these things?” They say to Him, “Yes”. 52 And the One said to them, “For this reason[af], every scribe[ag] having become-a-disciple[ah] in[ai] the kingdom of the heavens is like a man who is a house-master, who brings out new things and old[aj] things from his treasure”.
The Hometown People Are Astounded At Jesus, But Unbelieving
53 And it came about that when Jesus finished these parables, He went-away from there. 54 And having come into His hometown[ak], He was teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and saying “From where did this wisdom and the miracles come to this One? 55 Is not this One the son of the carpenter? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Jude[al]? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? From where then did all these things come to this One?” 57 And they were taking-offense[am] at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without-honor except in his hometown and in his house”. 58 And He did not do many[an] miracles there because of their unbelief.
Footnotes
- Matthew 13:5 That is, bedrock or rocky outcroppings.
- Matthew 13:7 Or, strangled, suffocated.
- Matthew 13:11 Or, understand.
- Matthew 13:11 That is, the things formerly hidden, but now being revealed by Jesus.
- Matthew 13:14 That is, the prophecy saying.
- Matthew 13:15 Or, thick, fat, insensitive.
- Matthew 13:15 That is, with difficulty. They are spiritually hard of hearing.
- Matthew 13:15 This expresses the purpose of the people. They willfully closed their eyes to God that they might not ever see what they did not want to see, and never have to change their ways and return to God.
- Matthew 13:15 Or, would heal. This is what God would do if they saw, heard, understood, and turned back, but they refuse to take this path.
- Matthew 13:16 Or, fortunate.
- Matthew 13:17 Or, see, but not the same word as next.
- Matthew 13:19 Or, message.
- Matthew 13:21 Or, transitory.
- Matthew 13:22 Or, concern, care.
- Matthew 13:22 Or, world; that is, this life.
- Matthew 13:22 Or, deception.
- Matthew 13:23 This is in contrast with the first soil, v 19.
- Matthew 13:23 Or, now, at this time; or, therefore.
- Matthew 13:23 This is in contrast with the second two soils.
- Matthew 13:24 Or, was like. Jesus may be speaking prophetically from the point of view of the end of the age; or, He may mean this in a timeless sense, ‘is like’.
- Matthew 13:25 Or, over-sowed.
- Matthew 13:25 This is a weed that is indistinguishable from wheat in its early stages.
- Matthew 13:26 That is, heads of grain.
- Matthew 13:32 That is, in relative size. Compare Mk 4:32.
- Matthew 13:33 Or, hid in. Normally, we would say ‘mixed into’, but this puts emphasis on the mixer and the mixing. Jesus is putting emphasis on the hiddenness of the leaven within the flour, and its transforming of the whole from within.
- Matthew 13:33 Or seah, a Hebrew measure, amounting here to about six gallons or 25 liters, a batch size seen in Gen 18:6.
- Matthew 13:38 That is, belonging to.
- Matthew 13:42 That is, characterized by fire; the fiery furnace.
- Matthew 13:44 Or, from the joy of it.
- Matthew 13:47 That is, a large fishing net deployed from a boat.
- Matthew 13:48 good... bad. That is, the ‘fit’ to eat versus the ‘unusable’.
- Matthew 13:52 That is, because the disciples now understand these new truths.
- Matthew 13:52 That is, expert on the OT.
- Matthew 13:52 Or, having been discipled, made a disciple.
- Matthew 13:52 Or, for.
- Matthew 13:52 His treasure now contains old truths and new (previously hidden) truths about the kingdom of Messiah. This scribe can now expound both.
- Matthew 13:54 That is, Nazareth.
- Matthew 13:55 Or, Judas, Judah.
- Matthew 13:57 Or, being caused to fall.
- Matthew 13:58 Or, great.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
