Mark 3:31-4:25
English Standard Version
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
31 (A)And his mother and his (B)brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers[a] are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And (C)looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 (D)For whoever (E)does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
The Parable of the Sower
4 Again (F)he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, (G)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. 2 And (H)he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, (I)a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And (J)when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, (K)it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among (L)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and (M)a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, (N)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
10 And (O)when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, (P)“To you has been given (Q)the secret of the kingdom of God, but for (R)those outside everything is in parables, 12 (S)so that
“‘they (T)may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they (U)should turn and be forgiven.’”
13 (V)And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 (W)The sower sows (X)the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it (Y)with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but (Z)endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately (AA)they fall away.[b] 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but (AB)the cares of (AC)the world and (AD)the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and (AE)bear fruit, (AF)thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
A Lamp Under a Basket
21 (AG)And he said to them, (AH)“Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 (AI)For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 (AJ)If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: (AK)with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 (AL)For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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