Mark 4

Parable of the Sower

¹ And again he began to be teaching by the sea. And [an] exceedingly great crowd was gathered to him, so that having embarked he was sitting in [a] boat in the sea, and the crowd was on the land facing the sea. ² And he was teaching them many [things] in parables, and he was saying to them in his teaching: ³ Be listening: Behold the [one] sowing came out to sow. ⁴ And it came to pass while sowing some fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ And other [seed] fell upon the rocky [places], where it was not having much soil¹ , and immediately it sprang up because it was not having depth of earth¹. ⁶ And when the sun rose it was burned up, and because it was not having root it was withered. ⁷ And other [seed] fell into thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it gave no fruit. ⁸ And others fell into the good soil¹ and coming up and growing it was giving fruit and it was bearing to thirty[fold] and within sixty and within hundred[fold]. ⁹ And he was saying: He who has ears to be hearing, let him be hearing² .

The Purpose of Parables

¹⁰ And when he came to be alone, those around him with the twelve were asking³ him with regard to the parables. ¹¹ And he was saying to them: To you the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given, to those outside all things come⁴ in parables, ¹² in order that⁵

Looking they look and may not see
And hearing they hear and may not understand
Lest ever they turn around and he forgive them.

¹³ And he says to them: You do not know this parable, how also will you know all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ But these are those beside the road, how the word is sown, and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes the word having been sown in them. ¹⁶ And these being sown upon the rocky [places] are likewise, which when they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. ¹⁷ And they have no root in themselves, but are temporary, then [when] tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they stumble. ¹⁸ And these are those being sown into the thorns, these are those having heard the word, ¹⁹ and [when] the cares of the age and the deceitfulness of wealth and the lusts [about] the rest enter, they choke the word, and it becomes fruitless. ²⁰ And these are those having been sown upon the good soil¹, which hear the word and receive [it] and bear fruit in thirty and in sixty and in a hundred.

The Parable of the Lamp

²¹ And he says to them that: Does [a] lamp come in order that it be placed under the bushel or under the bed? Is it not in order that it be placed upon the lampstand? ²² For is anything hidden if not in order that it be revealed? ²³ If anyone has ears to be hearing, let him be hearing². ²⁴ And he says to them: Be watching what you are hearing. With what measure you measure it shall be measured to you, and shall be put to you. ²⁵ For whoever has, it shall be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away.

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ And he was saying: The kingdom of God is thus, as [a] man throws the seed upon the earth¹ ²⁷ and he sleeps and gets up night and day, the seed sprouts and grows when he did not know it. ²⁸ By itself the land bears fruit, first grass, then [an] ear, then full grain on the ear. ²⁹ When the fruit permits, immediately he sends the sickle because the harvest has come.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ And he was saying: How shall I liken the kingdom of God? or by means of what shall I set it forth in [a] parable? ³¹ As with [a] grain of mustard, which when sown upon the ground, being smaller than all the seeds upon the ground, ³² and when sown, it comes up and becomes [the] greater of all the herbs, and it produces great branches, so that the birds of heaven are able to be dwelling under its shadow.

The Use of Parables

³³ And he was speaking to them the word with many such parables, just as they were able to be hearing, ³⁴ but without parables he was not speaking to them, but privately he was explaining everything to his own disciples.

Stilling of a Storm

³⁵ And he says to them in that day, evening having come: Go through to the other side. ³⁶ And the crowd having departed they took him with them as he was in the boat, and another boat was with him. ³⁷ And there comes [a] great hurricane of wind, and the waves were casting into the boat, so that already the boat was being filled. ³⁸ And he himself was in the stern upon the cushion sleeping. And they rouse him and say to him: Teacher, is it of no concern to you that we are perishing? ³⁹ And having been awakened he rebuked the wind and said to the sea: Be still, be silent. And the wind ceased, and there came [a] great calm. ⁴⁰ And he said to them: Are you such cowards in this manner? How do you have no faith? ⁴¹ And they were afraid with [a] great fear, and were saying to one another: What then is this [one], that even the wind and the sea obey him?

¹GE "GAY" (γη) "earth", "land" (remember that they didn't understand about the Earth being a planet floating in space yet), sometimes "ground" or "dirt".

²imperative

³EROTAO (ερωταω) "Ask", but more polite, not demanding/begging as is AITEO. Both AITEO and EROTAO occur in John.16:26.

⁴or "are given"

⁵Isa.6:9-10