Matthew 13
Seed, Leaven, Treasure, and a Net
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The Parable of the Sower
13:1On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
13:2Great crowds gathered to Him, so that He entered a boat and sat down, while all the crowd stood on the shore.
13:3He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow.
13:4As he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured them.
13:5Others fell on rocky places, where they did not have much soil, and immediately sprang up because they had no depth of soil.
13:6But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered.
13:7Others fell among thorns; the thorns grew up and choked them.
13:8Others fell on the good soil and yielded fruit: some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
13:9Let the one who has ears hear.”
Why Do You Speak in Parables?
13:10The disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
13:11He answered them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been given.
13:12For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
13:13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear or understand.
13:14In them is fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, which says: ‘You will hear and hear but certainly not understand; you will look and look but certainly not see.
13:15For the heart of this people has grown fat, and with their ears they heard with difficulty, and they closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn, and I will heal them.’
13:16But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
13:17For truly I tell you, many prophets 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.
The Sower Explained
13:18You, then, hear the parable of the sower.
13:19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown beside the road.
13:20The one sown on rocky places is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
13:21yet has no root in himself, but is temporary. When affliction or persecution arises because of the word, he immediately stumbles.
13:22The one sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the anxiety of this age and the deceit of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
13:23The one sown upon the good soil is the one who hears the word and understands; he indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”
The Darnel Among the Wheat
13:24He set another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens was likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
13:25While people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went away.
13:26When the crop sprouted and bore fruit, then the darnel appeared also.
13:27The householder’s slaves came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? From where, then, does it have darnel?’
13:28He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather it?’
13:29He said, ‘No, lest while gathering the darnel you uproot the wheat with it.
13:30Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers: Gather the darnel first and bind it into bundles to burn it, but gather the wheat into my storehouse.’”
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
13:31He set another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.
13:32It is smaller than all the seeds, but when it grows it is greater than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and rest in its branches.”
13:33He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until the whole was leavened.”
He Spoke to Them in Parables
13:34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables, and He spoke nothing to them without a parable,
13:35so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation.”
The Darnel Explained
13:36Then He left the crowds and entered the house. His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel in the field.”
13:37He answered, “The One sowing the good seed is the Son of Man.
13:38The field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom; the darnel are the sons of the evil one;
13:39the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the consummation of the age; and the reapers are angels.
13:40Just as the darnel is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the consummation of the age.
13:41The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom all causes of stumbling and those who practice lawlessness.
13:42They will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
13:43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let the one who has ears hear.
The Treasure and the Pearl
13:44The kingdom of the heavens is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid. In his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
13:45Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking fine pearls.
13:46Finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.
The Net
13:47Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a dragnet cast into the sea and gathering fish of every kind.
13:48When it was full, they drew it onto the shore, sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but threw the rotten away.
13:49So it will be at the consummation of the age: the angels will go out and separate the evil from the midst of the righteous
13:50and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
13:51Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.”
13:52He said to them, “Therefore every scribe made a disciple for the kingdom of the heavens is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
The Rejection at Nazareth
13:53When Jesus finished these parables, He departed from there.
13:54Coming to His hometown, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
13:55Is He not the craftsman’s son? Is His mother not called Mary, and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
13:56And are not all His sisters with us? Where, then, did this Man get all these things?”
13:57They stumbled because of Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and his own house.”
13:58He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.