The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat

²⁴ He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field,^{(A) 25} but while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. ²⁷ And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ ²⁸ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he replied, ‘No, for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both of them grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”^(B)

The Use of Parables

³⁴ Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing.^{(A) 35} This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:^[a]

Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷ He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸ the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,^{(C) 39} and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.^{(D) 40} Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.^{(E) 41} The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin^[c] and all evildoers,^{(F) 42} and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(G) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears^[d] listen!^(H)