³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred,^(A) sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”^(B)

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven^(C) has been given to you,^(D) but not to them.

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things,^(A) the crowds were amazed at his teaching,^{(B) 29} because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The Father Revealed in the Son^(A)

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,^(B) Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^{(C) 26} Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

The Parable of the Sower^(A)(B)

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.^(C) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.

¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God^(A) has been given to you. But to those on the outside^(B) everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

¹⁵ He was teaching in their synagogues,^(A) and everyone praised him.

¹⁰ He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you,^(A) but to others I speak in parables, so that,

²¹ So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.^(A)