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10 The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

11 He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. 12 For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand. 14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,

‘By hearing you will hear,
    and will in no way understand;
Seeing you will see,
    and will in no way perceive;
15 for this people’s heart has grown callous,
    their ears are dull of hearing,
    and they have closed their eyes;
or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their heart,
and would turn again,
    and I would heal them.’Isaiah 6:9-10

16 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. 17 For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.

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The Purpose of the Parables(A)

10 Then the disciples came and asked Jesus,[a] “Why do you speak to people[b] in parables?”

11 He answered them, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from[c] heaven, but it hasn’t been given to them, 12 because to anyone who has something, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who doesn’t have anything, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 That’s why I speak to them in parables, because

‘they look but don’t see,
    and they listen but don’t hear or understand.’

14 “With them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says:

‘You will listen and listen but never understand.
    You will look and look but never comprehend,
15 for this people’s heart has become dull,
    and their ears are hard of hearing.[d]
They have shut their eyes
    so that they might not see with their eyes,
        and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn,
    and I would heal them.’[e]

16 “How blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear! 17 I tell all of you[f] with certainty, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but did not see them, and to hear the things you hear but did not hear them.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:10 Lit. him
  2. Matthew 13:10 Lit. to them
  3. Matthew 13:11 Lit. of
  4. Matthew 13:15 Lit. they hear with ears of heaviness
  5. Matthew 13:15 Cf. Isa 6:9-10
  6. Matthew 13:17 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.