Mark 4:1-41 LSB

[1] And He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. [2] And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, [3] “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; [4] and it happened that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. [5] And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. [6] And after the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. [7] And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. [8] And other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they were yielding a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” [9] And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” [10] And when He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. [11] And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, everything comes in parables, [12] so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, LEST THEY RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN.” [13] And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? [14] The sower sows the word. [15] And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. [16] And in a similar way, these are the ones being sown on the rocky places: those who, when hearing the word, immediately receive it with joy; [17] and they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. [18] And others are those being sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, [19] but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for anything else enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. [20] And those are the ones which were sown on the good soil: they who hear the word and accept it and are bearing fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” [21] And He was saying to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be put on the lampstand? [22] For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. [23] If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” [24] And He was saying to them, “Beware what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you. [25] For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” [26] And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; [27] and he sleeps and rises, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. [28] The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. [29] But when the grain is ripe, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” [30] And He was saying, “How shall we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? [31] It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smallest of all the seeds that are upon the soil, [32] yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes largest of all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.” [33] And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it; [34] and He was not speaking to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. [35] And on that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” [36] And leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. [37] And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling up. [38] And Jesus Himself was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion; and they got Him up and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” [39] And He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. [40] And He said to them, “Why are you so cowardly? Do you still have no faith?” [41] And they became very afraid and were saying to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”