Matthew 13
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.
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 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
Complete Jewish Bible
13 That same day, Yeshua went out of the house and sat down by the lake; 2 but such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there while the crowd stood on the shore. 3 He told them many things in parables:
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell alongside the path; and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky patches where there was not much soil. It sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow; 6 but when the sun had risen, the young plants were scorched; and since their roots were not deep, they dried up. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 But others fell into rich soil and produced grain, a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as had been sown. 9 Those who have ears, let them hear!”
10 Then the talmidim came and asked Yeshua, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” 11 He answered, “Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them. 12 For anyone who has something will be given more, so that he will have plenty; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away. 13 Here is why I speak to them in parables: they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. 14 That is, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Yesha‘yahu which says,
‘You will keep on hearing but never understand,
and keep on seeing but never perceive,
15 because the heart of this people has become dull —
with their ears they barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
so as not to see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and do t’shuvah,
so that I could heal them.’
16 But you, how blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear! 17 Yes indeed! I tell you that many a prophet and many a tzaddik longed to see the things you are seeing but did not see them, and to hear the things you are hearing but did not hear them.
18 “So listen to what the parable of the sower means. 19 Whoever hears the message about the Kingdom, but doesn’t understand it, is like the seed sown along the path — the Evil One comes and seizes what was sown in his heart. 20 The seed sown on rocky ground is like a person who hears the message and accepts it with joy at once, 21 but has no root in himself. So he stays on for a while; but as soon as some trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, he immediately falls away. 22 Now the seed sown among thorns stands for someone who hears the message, but it is choked by the worries of the world and the deceitful glamor of wealth, so that it produces nothing. 23 However, what was sown on rich soil is the one who hears the message and understands it; such a person will surely bear fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
24 Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, 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 have the weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time. 30 Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.’”
31 Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches.”
33 And he told them yet another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with a bushel of flour, then waited until the whole batch of dough rose.”
34 All these things Yeshua said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without using a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet,
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will say what has been hidden since the creation of the universe.”[a]
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His talmidim approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world. As for the good seed, these are the people who belong to the Kingdom; and the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. 39 The enemy who sows them is the Adversary, the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah; 42 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let him hear!
44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, hid it again, then in great joy went and sold everything he owned, and bought that field.
45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for fine pearls. 46 On finding one very valuable pearl he went away, sold everything he owned and bought it.
47 “Once more, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the lake, that caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen brought the net up onto the shore, sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad fish away. 49 So it will be at the close of the age — the angels will go forth and separate the evil people from among the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will wail and grind their teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. 52 He said to them, “So then, every Torah-teacher who has been made into a talmid for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of a home who brings out of his storage room both new things and old.”
53 When Yeshua had finished these parables, he left 54 and went to his home town. There he taught them in their synagogue in a way that astounded them, so that they asked, “Where do this man’s wisdom and miracles come from? 55 Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Miryam? and his brothers Ya‘akov, Yosef, Shim‘on and Y’hudah? 56 And his sisters, aren’t they all with us? So where does he get all this?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Yeshua said to them, “The only place people don’t respect a prophet is in his home town and in his own house.” 58 And he did few miracles there because of their lack of trust.
Footnotes
- Matthew 13:35 Psalm 78:2
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.