1Again he began to teach by the sea. and a very large crowd gathered around him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2Then he taught them many things by parables, and said to them in his teaching: 3»Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun came up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8But other seed fell on good soil and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced thirtyfold, sixty, and a hundred.« 9And he said, »He who has ears to hear, let him hear.« 10And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11And he said to them, »To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those outside everything is in parables; 12so that ‘seeing they may see but not perceive,and hearing may hear but not understand;lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.’« 13And he said to them, »Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15And these are the ones along the path where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16And these likewise are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17and they have no root in themselves, but endure for only a time. Then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, 19but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20But these are the ones sown on good soil, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit thirtyfold, sixty, and a hundred.« 21And he said to them, »Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22For there is nothing hidden, except to be revealed; nor is anything secret, but that it should come to light. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.« 24Then he said to them, »Take heed what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you; and more will be given you. 25For whoever has, to him will more be given; and whoever does not have, from him even what he has will be taken away.« 26And he said, »The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28All by itself the earth produces grain—first the blade, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.« 30And he said, »With what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is the smallest of all seeds in the earth; 32yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.« 33With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34But without a parable he did not speak to them. And when they were alone, he explained everything to his own disciples. 35On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, »Let us go over to the other side.« 36And leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37And a great storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38But he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. And they woke him and said to him, »Teacher, do you not care if we perish?« 39Then he rose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, »Peace! Be still!« And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, »Why are you so afraid? Have you no faith?« 41And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, »Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!«