Old/New Testament

The parables of the seed, of the tares, of the mustard seed, of the leaven, of the treasure hid in the field, of the pearls, and of the net.

13 The same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea side. ² And crowds of people gathered to him, so greatly that he went and sat in a boat, and all the people stood on the shore. ³ And he spoke many things to them in similitudes, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it up. ⁵ Some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth, and it sprang up quickly because it had no depth of earth; ⁶ and when the sun was up, it caught heat, and for lack of rooting withered away. ⁷ Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it. ⁸ But part fell in good ground and brought forth good fruit: some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. ⁹ Whosoever has ears to hear, let him hear!

¹⁰ And the disciples came and asked him, Why do you speak to them in parables? ¹¹ He answered and said to them, It is given to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. ¹² For whosoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance. But whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away even what he has. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in similitudes. For though they see, they see not. And hearing, they hear not, neither understand. ¹⁴ And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which prophecy says: With the ears you will hear, but will not understand, and with the eyes you will see, and will not perceive. ¹⁵ For the hearts of this people have grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts, and should turn, so that I might heal them.

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ Truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things that you hear, and have not heard them.

¹⁸ Hear therefore the similitude of the sower. ¹⁹ Whosoever hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, there comes the evil one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart; and this is he who received the seed by the wayside. ²⁰ But he who received the seed in the stony ground is the person who hears the word of God, and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ Yet he has no roots in himself, and therefore endures but a season, for as soon as tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, at once he falls. ²² He who received the seed among thorns is the person who hears the word of God, but the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and so he is made unfruitful. ²³ But he who receives the seed in good ground is the person who hears the word and understands it; who also bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.

²⁴ Another similitude he put forth to them, saying, 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 tares among the wheat, and went his way. ²⁶ When the blade had sprung up and had brought forth fruit, then the tares appeared also. ²⁷ Then the servants went to the householder and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where then did the tares come from? ²⁸ He said to them, The envious man has done this. Then the servants said to him, Do you want us then to go and weed them out? ²⁹ But he said, Nay, lest while you go about to weed out the tares, you pluck up also with them the wheat by the roots. ³⁰ Let both grow together till harvest comes. And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather the tares first, and bind them in sheaves to be burned; but gather the wheat into my barn.