The Reason for the Parables

10 And the disciples came up and[a] said to him, “Why[b] do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered and[c] said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those people it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand, 14 and with reference to them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says,

You will listen carefully[d] and will never understand,
    and you will look closely[e] and will never perceive.
15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
    and with their ears they hear with difficulty,
    and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
    and understand with their heart
    and turn, and I would heal them.”[f]

16 But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it,[g] and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it![h]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:10 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came up”) has been translated as a finite verb
  2. Matthew 13:10 Literally “because of what”
  3. Matthew 13:11 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  4. Matthew 13:14 Literally “with hearing you will hear”
  5. Matthew 13:14 Literally “seeing you will see”
  6. Matthew 13:15 A quotation from Isa 6:9–10
  7. Matthew 13:17 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  8. Matthew 13:17 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation