Matthew 13-16
New King James Version
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:
(K)‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not (L)perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears (M)are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have (N)closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I [b]should (O)heal them.’
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.”
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but (AA)gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed(AB)
31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: (AC)“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a (AD)tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
The Parable of the Leaven(AE)
33 (AF)Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three [c]measures of meal till (AG)it was all leavened.”
Prophecy and the Parables
34 (AH)All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
(AI)“I will open My mouth in parables;
(AJ)I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
The Parable of the Tares Explained
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 (AK)The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are (AL)the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, (AM)the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, (AN)and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 (AO)and will cast them into the furnace of fire. (AP)There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 (AQ)Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (AR)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and (AS)sells all that he has and (AT)buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found (AU)one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Dragnet
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and (AV)gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, (AW)separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
51 [d]Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, [e]Lord.”
52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every [f]scribe instructed [g]concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure (AX)things new and old.”
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth(AY)
53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. 54 (AZ)When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 (BA)Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And (BB)His brothers (BC)James, [h]Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they (BD)were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, (BE)“A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now (BF)He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
John the Baptist Beheaded(BG)
14 At that time (BH)Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.” 3 (BI)For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4 Because John had said to him, (BJ)“It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, (BK)because they counted him as a prophet.
6 But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.
8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.”
9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
Feeding the Five Thousand(BL)
13 (BM)When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He (BN)was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15 (BO)When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, (BP)He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Sea(BQ)
22 Immediately Jesus [i]made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 (BR)And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. (BS)Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now [j]in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him (BT)walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, [k]“Be of good (BU)cheer! [l]It is I; do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw [m]that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of (BV)little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33 Then those who were in the boat [n]came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly (BW)You are the Son of God.”
Many Touch Him and Are Made Well(BX)
34 (BY)When they had crossed over, they came [o]to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only (BZ)touch the hem of His garment. And (CA)as many as touched it were made perfectly well.
Defilement Comes from Within(CB)
15 Then (CC)the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 (CD)“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, (CE)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, (CF)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, (CG)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father [p]or mother.’ Thus you have made the [q]commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 (CH)Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 ‘These(CI) people [r]draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
(CJ)Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
10 (CK)When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 (CL)Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13 But He answered and said, (CM)“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. (CN)They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
15 (CO)Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16 So Jesus said, (CP)“Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that (CQ)whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But (CR)those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 (CS)For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
A Gentile Shows Her Faith(CT)
21 (CU)Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, (CV)Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
23 But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
24 But He answered and said, (CW)“I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little (CX)dogs.”
27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, (CY)great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Jesus Heals Great Multitudes(CZ)
29 (DA)Jesus departed from there, (DB)skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 (DC)Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, [s]maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ (DD)feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the [t]maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they (DE)glorified the God of Israel.
Feeding the Four Thousand(DF)
32 (DG)Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
33 (DH)Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And (DI)He took the seven loaves and the fish and (DJ)gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 (DK)And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of [u]Magdala.
The Pharisees and Sadducees Seek a Sign(DL)
16 Then the (DM)Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ [v]Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 (DN)A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of [w]the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees(DO)
5 Now (DP)when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, (DQ)“Take heed and beware of the [x]leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”
7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”
8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you [y]have brought no bread? 9 (DR)Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? 10 (DS)Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? 11 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the [z]leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the [aa]doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ(DT)
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, (DU)“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, (DV)“Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or (DW)one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do (DX)you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, (DY)“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, (DZ)for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but (EA)My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that (EB)you are Peter, and (EC)on this rock I will build My church, and (ED)the gates of Hades shall not [ab]prevail against it. 19 (EE)And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth [ac]will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
20 (EF)Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(EG)
21 From that time Jesus began (EH)to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, [ad]“Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, (EI)Satan! (EJ)You are [ae]an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Take Up the Cross and Follow Him(EK)
24 (EL)Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and (EM)follow Me. 25 For (EN)whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what (EO)profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or (EP)what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For (EQ)the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father (ER)with His angels, (ES)and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, (ET)there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 13:11 secret or hidden truths
- Matthew 13:15 NU, M would
- Matthew 13:33 Gr. sata, same as a Heb. seah; approximately 2 pecks in all
- Matthew 13:51 NU omits Jesus said to them
- Matthew 13:51 NU omits Lord
- Matthew 13:52 A scholar of the Old Testament
- Matthew 13:52 Or for
- Matthew 13:55 NU Joseph
- Matthew 14:22 invited, strongly urged
- Matthew 14:24 NU many furlongs away from the land
- Matthew 14:27 Take courage
- Matthew 14:27 Lit. I am
- Matthew 14:30 NU brackets that and boisterous as disputed.
- Matthew 14:33 NU omits came and
- Matthew 14:34 NU to land at
- Matthew 15:6 NU omits or mother
- Matthew 15:6 NU word
- Matthew 15:8 NU omits draw near to Me with their mouth, And
- Matthew 15:30 crippled
- Matthew 15:31 crippled
- Matthew 15:39 NU Magadan
- Matthew 16:3 NU omits Hypocrites
- Matthew 16:4 NU omits the prophet
- Matthew 16:6 yeast
- Matthew 16:8 NU have no bread
- Matthew 16:11 yeast
- Matthew 16:12 teaching
- Matthew 16:18 be victorious
- Matthew 16:19 Or will have been bound . . . will have been loosed
- Matthew 16:22 Lit. Merciful to You (May God be merciful)
- Matthew 16:23 a stumbling block
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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