1 On that day, Jesus {Iesous, Parable Teacher} went out of the house and sat by the sea {thalassa: large body of water}.
2 And many crowds were gathered to Him {Iesous, Sea-side Teacher}, so that He entered into a boat and sat down, and all the crowd was standing on the shore {aigialon: narrow beach}.
3 And He {Iesous, Divine Teacher} spoke many things to them in parables {parabole: teaching story}, saying, “Behold, a sower went out to sow.”
4 And as he was sowing, some {ha: portion of the seed} indeed fell along the path, and the birds {peteina: winged creatures} came and devoured them.
5 But other seed fell upon the rocky places {petrodē: stony ground}, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it did not have depth of earth {ge: cultivated soil}.
6 But when the sun {heliou: source of heat} had risen, it was scorched, and because it had no root {rhizan: foundational support}, it withered.
7 But other seed fell {epesen: dropped downward} upon the thorns {akanthas: prickly bramble plants}, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8 But other seed fell upon the good ground {gen: cultivated soil}, and it was producing fruit {karpos: crop yield}, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
9 Whoever has {ekhon: consciously possesses} ears, let him hear {akoueto: truly receive}.
10 And the disciples came and said to Him {Iesous, Teacher In Parables}, “Why do You speak to them in parables {parabolais: illustrative stories}?”
11 But He {Iesous, Parable Revealer} answered and said to them, “Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries {mysteria: hidden divine truths} of the kingdom of the heavens, but to those it has not been given.”
12 For whoever has, it will be given to him, and he will have abundance {perisseuthesetai: overflowing increase}; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away {arthethesetai: completely removed} from him.
13 Because of this I speak to them in parables {parabolais: illustrative stories}, because although they see, they do not see, and although they hear, they do not hear, nor do they understand {suniouisin: grasp inwardly}.
14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah {Esaiou: prophetic spokesman} is fulfilled, which says: “In hearing {akoe: repeated exposure} you will hear, and you will certainly not understand, and seeing you will see, and you will certainly not perceive.”
15 For the heart {kardia: seat of will and understanding} of this people has become dull, and with their ears they hear heavily, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and turn, and I {Theos, Merciful Healer} would heal them.
16 But blessed {makarioi: spiritually favored status} are your eyes because they see, and your ears {ota: receptive understanding} because they hear.
17 For truly, I {Iesous, Revealing Messiah} say to you, many prophets {prophetai: inspired spokesmen} and righteous people desired to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it.
18 Therefore you {humeis: primary hearers}, listen to the parable {parabole: illustrative story} of the sower.
19 For everyone hearing the word of the kingdom and not understanding {syniēntos: failing to grasp}, the evil one {poneros: wicked adversary} comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown by the path.
20 But the one who was sown on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word {logos: divine message} and immediately receives it with joy {chara: deep gladness}.
21 Yet he has no root {rhiza: inner stability} in himself, but is only temporary; when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away {skandalizetai: stumbles spiritually}.
22 But the one sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the care of this age {aion: passing world order} and the deceitfulness of wealth {ploutos: material riches} choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23 But the one who was sown upon the good ground—this is the person who hears the word {logos: divine message} and understands it, who indeed bears fruit {karpophorei: spiritual result} and produces: in one case a hundred, in another sixty, and in another thirty.
24 He {Iesous, Revealing King} set another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field {agros: cultivated land}.”
25 But while the people were sleeping, his enemy {echthros: malicious adversary} came and sowed tares {zizania: wheat-imitating weeds} among the wheat and went away.
26 But when the plant {chortos: sown wheat growth} sprouted and produced fruit {karpos: visible harvest}, then the weeds also appeared.
27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master {Kyrie: household superior}, did you not sow good seed in your field? From where then does it have weeds {zizania: harmful impostors}?”
28 But he said to them, “An enemy {echthros: hostile adversary}—a man—did this.” Then the servants {douloi: household laborers} said to him, “Do you want us, therefore, to go and gather them?”
29 But he said, “No, lest while you are gathering the tares {zizania: weeds resembling wheat}, you might uproot the wheat {siton: cultivated grain} with them at the same time.”
30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest {therismou: final gathering}, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers {theristais: final workers}, “Gather the weeds first and bind them into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
31 He set before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven {basileia ton ouranon, Quietly Expanding Reign} is like a grain {kokko: very small seed} of mustard which a man, having taken, sowed in his field.”
32 It is indeed the smallest of all the seeds {sperma: tiny kernels}, but when it has grown it is greater than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and nest in its branches {klados: spreading boughs}.
33 He {Iesous, Parable Speaker} spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven {zyme: fermenting agent} that a woman, having taken, hid in three measures of flour until the whole was leavened.”
34 Jesus {Iesous, Wise Teacher} spoke all these things to the crowds in parables {parabole: symbolic stories}, and without a parable He did not speak to them.
35 So that what had been spoken by the prophet {prophetes: inspired herald} might be fulfilled: “I will open my mouth in parables {parabole: comparison stories}; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
36 Then, after He {Iesous, Revealing Teacher} had sent the crowds away, He went into the house, and His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable {parabole: illustrative story} of the weeds of the field.”
37 But He {Iesous, Divine Teacher} answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man {huios tou anthropou, Messianic Title}.”
38 The field is the world; and the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom {basileia: royal reign}; but the tares are the sons of the evil one {poneros: hostile spiritual enemy}.
39 But the enemy who sowed them is the devil {diabolos: malicious deceiver}. The harvest is the completion {sunteleia: final climax} of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 Therefore, just as the weeds {zizania: harmful look-alikes} are gathered and are burned with fire, so it will be at the end {sunteleia: final culmination} of the age.
41 The Son of Man {huios tou anthropou, Righteous Judge} will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks {skandala: spiritual downfall} and those who practice lawlessness.
42 And they will throw them into the furnace {kaminon: consuming judgment} of fire. There will be weeping {klauthmos: loud lamentation} and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous {dikaioi: just, upright} will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father {pater, Sovereign King}. Whoever has ears, let him hear.
44 The kingdom of heaven {basileia ton ouranon, All-Surpassing Rule} is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man, having found it, hid; and from his joy {chara: deep gladness} he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven {basileia ton ouranon: Divine Reign} is like a man, a merchant {emporos: professional trader}, seeking beautiful pearls.
46 But when he had found one very precious pearl {margariten: highly prized jewel}, he went away and sold all that he had and bought {egorasen: completed purchase act} it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven {ouranon: divine realm} is like a net that was cast into the sea and gathered every kind {genous: various species}:
48 When it was full, they brought it up onto the shore, and having sat down, they gathered the good {kala: valuable and wholesome} into containers, but the bad {sapra: rotten and spoiled} they threw out.
49 In this manner it will be at the completion {sunteleia: final consummation} of the age {aion: present world era}; the angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous.
50 And they will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be the weeping {klauthmos: bitter lamentation} and the gnashing {brugmos: agonized grinding} of teeth.