Matthew 13:3-11

English Standard Version

³ And ^(A)he told them many things in parables, saying: ^(B)“A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but ^(C)when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, ^(D)they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among ^(E)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some ^(F)a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ^9 (G)He who has ears,^[a] let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, ^(H)“To you it has been given to know ^(I)the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.