4 And again he began to teach by the sea. And a great crowd was gathered together to him, so that going on board ship he sat in the sea, and all the crowd were close to the sea on the land.

² And he taught them many things in parables. And he said to them in his doctrine,

³ Hearken: Behold, the sower went forth to sow.

⁴ And it came to pass as he sowed, one fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it.

⁵ And another fell on the rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprung up out [of the ground] because it had no depth of earth;

⁶ and when the sun arose it was burnt up, and because of its not having any root, it withered.

⁷ And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

⁸ And another fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing; and bore, one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundred.

⁹ And he said, He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

¹⁰ And when he was alone, those about him with the twelve asked him [as to] the parables.

¹¹ And he said to them, To you is given [to know] the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to them who are without, all things are done in parables,

¹² that beholding they may behold and not see, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest it may be, they should be converted and they should be forgiven.

¹³ And he says to them, Do ye not know this parable? and how will ye be acquainted with all the parables?

¹⁴ The sower sows the word:

¹⁵ and these are they by the wayside where the word is sown, and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

¹⁶ And these are they in like manner who are sown upon the rocky places, who when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy,

¹⁷ and they have no root in themselves, but are for a time: then, tribulation arising, or persecution on account of the word, immediately they are offended.

¹⁸ And others are they who are sown among the thorns: these are they who have heard the word,

¹⁹ and the cares of life, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰ And these are they who have been sown on the good ground, such as hear the word and receive it, and bear fruit; one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundred [fold].