Book of Common Prayer

⁹ That is why we keep on talking to God about you since the day we heard about you. We ask him that you may know everything he wants you to do. We ask him that you may be very wise and that the Spirit will help you to understand.

¹⁰ We ask him that you will live the way the Lord wants you to live, so that you will please him in everything you do. We ask that you will do everything that is good. We ask that you will see the fruit from what you do. We ask that you will know more and more about God.

¹¹ God has wonderful power. And we ask him to give you all the strength you need to go through all your troubles, to be very patient in them, and to be happy.

¹² Thank the Father who has made us ready to be with the people of God who live in his light.

¹³ He has set us free from the kingdom where it is dark. And he has put us into the kingdom where his dear Son rules.

¹⁴ Because of his Son, we are set free and the wrong things we have done are forgiven.

13 That day Jesus left the house and sat down by the sea side.

² Many people came to where he was. So he got into a boat and sat down. All the people stood on the land by the water.

³ He taught the people many things by telling them stories. He said, `Listen, a man went out to sow some seed.

⁴ As he sowed it, some of the seed fell on the road. Birds came and ate the seed.

⁵ Some seed fell on the stony ground. Not much earth covered the stones. The seed started to grow right away because it was not deep in the ground.

⁶ When the sun began to shine, it was too hot for the new plants. They died because they had no roots.

⁷ Some seed fell among the weeds. The weeds grew up and made the new plants die.

⁸ But some seed fell on good ground. The seed grew and the plants gave more seed. Some plants gave thirty seeds. Some gave sixty. And some gave a hundred.

⁹ Everyone who has ears, listen!'

¹⁰ The disciples came to Jesus and asked him, `Why do you tell the people these stories?'

¹¹ Jesus answered them, `You can learn the secret things about the kingdom of heaven. But they cannot learn them.

¹² Anyone who already has something will get more, and he will have plenty. But he who does not have anything, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.

¹³ That is why I tell them stories. They look, but they do not see. They listen, but they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴ They make what Isaiah the prophet said long ago, come true. `Isaiah said: "You will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not see.

¹⁵ The hearts of these people have no feeling. They do not hear well with their ears. And they have shut their eyes. They do not want to see with their eyes. They do not want to hear with their ears. They do not want to understand in their hearts. They do not want to turn to me. If they did turn, I would heal them."

¹⁶ `God is blessing your eyes because they see. God is blessing your ears because they hear.