Matthew 13
Legacy Standard Bible
The Parable of the Sower
13 On that day Jesus went out of (A)the house and was sitting (B)by the sea. 2 And [a]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 spoke many things to them 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 And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And others fell [b]among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and were yielding [c]a crop, some a (E)hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 (F)He who has ears, [d]let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 And [e]Jesus answered and said to them, “(G)To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 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 in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘[f](J)You will keep on hearing, [g]but will not understand;
[h]You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
15 (K)For the heart of this people has become dull,
And with their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Lest they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And 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 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
18 “(N)Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears (O)the 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 on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he [i](Q)falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of (R)the [j]world and the (S)deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some (T)a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
The Parable of Tares Among Wheat
24 He presented another parable to them, saying, “(U)The kingdom of heaven [k]may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [l]tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the [m]wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? [n]How then does it have tares?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An [o]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; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but (V)gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven
31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “(W)The kingdom of heaven is like (X)a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is the [p]smallest of all seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is the [q]largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that (Y)the birds of the [r]air come and nest in its branches.”
33 He spoke another parable to them, “(Z)The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in [s](AA)three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He was not speaking to them (AB)without a parable 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
“(AC)I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
The Parable of Tares 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 [t]tares of the field.” 37 And He answered and 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 tares 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 [u]end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at (AK)the [v]end of the age. 41 (AL)The Son of Man (AM)will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom [w]all (AN)stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and (AO)will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place (AP)there will be weeping 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, [x]let him hear.
A 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 joy over it he goes and (AT)sells all 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 all that he had and bought it.
A Dragnet
47 “Again, (AV)the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they drew 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 [y]end of the age; the angels will come forth and [z]take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and (AX)will throw them into the fiery furnace; 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 He 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 things new and old.”
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
53 [aa](AZ)Now it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54 (BA)And He came to [ab]His hometown and (BB)began teaching them in their synagogue, so that (BC)they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these [ac]miraculous powers? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not (BD)His mother called Mary, and His (BE)brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And (BF)His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they were taking (BG)offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “(BH)A prophet is not without honor except in his [ad]hometown and in his own household.” 58 And He did not do many [ae]miracles there because of their unbelief.
Footnotes
- Matthew 13:2 Lit many
- Matthew 13:7 Lit upon
- Matthew 13:8 Lit fruit
- Matthew 13:9 Or hear!, listen!; Gr imperative
- Matthew 13:11 Lit He
- Matthew 13:14 Lit With a hearing you will hear
- Matthew 13:14 Lit and
- Matthew 13:14 Lit Seeing you will see
- Matthew 13:21 Lit is caused to stumble
- Matthew 13:22 Or age
- Matthew 13:24 Lit was compared to
- Matthew 13:25 Or darnel, a weed resembling wheat
- Matthew 13:26 Lit grass
- Matthew 13:27 Lit From where
- Matthew 13:28 Lit enemy man
- Matthew 13:32 Lit smaller
- Matthew 13:32 Lit larger
- Matthew 13:32 Or sky
- Matthew 13:33 Approx. 48 lb. or 39 l, a saton was approx. 16 lb. or 13 l
- Matthew 13:36 Or 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!, listen!; Gr imperative
- Matthew 13:49 Or consummation
- Matthew 13:49 Or separate
- Matthew 13:53 Lit And
- 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
Christian Standard Bible
The Parable of the Sower
13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.(A) 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.(B)
3 Then he told them many things in parables,(C) saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.(D) 9 Let anyone who has ears[a] listen.”(E)
Why Jesus Used Parables
10 Then the disciples(F) came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” (G)
11 He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,(H) but it has not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.(I) 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see,(J) and hearing they do not listen or understand.(K) 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You will listen and listen,
but never understand;
you will look and look,
but never perceive.(L)
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and
understand with their hearts,
and turn back—
and I would heal them.[b](M)
16 “Blessed are your eyes(N) because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.(O) 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.(P)
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: (Q) 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.(R) 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.(S) 21 But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution(T) comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age(U) and the deceitfulness[c] of wealth(V) choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
24 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.(W) 25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. 26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. 27 The landowner’s servants(X) came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he told them.
“‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him.
29 “‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’”
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven
31 He(Y) presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven(Z) is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”(AA)
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven[d] that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds[e] of flour until all of it was leavened.”(AB)
Using Parables Fulfills Prophecy
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable,(AC) 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
I will open my mouth in parables;
I will declare things kept secret
from the foundation of the world.[f][g](AD)
Jesus Interprets the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”(AE)
37 He replied, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,(AF) 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.(AG) 40 Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.(AH) 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin[h] and those guilty of lawlessness.[i](AI) 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace(AJ) where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(AK) 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears[j] listen.(AL)
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Priceless Pearl
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.(AM)
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless[k] pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.(AN)
The Parable of the Net
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish,(AO) 48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,(AP) 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(AQ)
The Storehouse of Truth
51 “Have you understood all these things?”[l]
They answered him, “Yes.”
52 “Therefore,” he said to them, “every teacher of the law[m] who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom treasures new and old.”(AR)
Rejection at Nazareth
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left there. 54 He went to his hometown(AS) and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?(AT) 55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?(AU) Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James,(AV) Joseph,[n] Simon, and Judas?(AW) 56 And his sisters, aren’t they all with us? So where does he get all these things?” 57 And they were offended by him.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.”(AX) 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
Footnotes
- 13:9 Other mss add to hear
- 13:14–15 Is 6:9–10
- 13:22 Or pleasure
- 13:33 Or yeast
- 13:33 Lit three sata; about forty liters
- 13:35 Some mss omit of the world
- 13:35 Ps 78:2
- 13:41 Or stumbling
- 13:41 Or those who do lawlessness
- 13:43 Other mss add to hear
- 13:46 Or very precious
- 13:51 Other mss add Jesus asked them
- 13:52 Or every scribe
- 13:55 Other mss read Joses; Mk 6:3
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