Matthew 7:13-13:40

English Standard Version

^13 (A)“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy^[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and ^(B)the way is hard that leads to life, and ^(C)those who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

^15 (D)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ^(E)ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them ^(F)by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, ^(G)every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ^19 (H)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them ^(I)by their fruits.

I Never Knew You

^21 (J)“Not everyone who ^(K)says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will ^(L)enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who ^(M)does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ^22 (N)On that day ^(O)many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not ^(P)prophesy in your name, and cast out demons ^(Q)in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ^23 (R)And then will I declare to them, ‘I ^(S)never knew you; ^(T)depart from me, ^(U)you workers of lawlessness.’

Build Your House on the Rock

^24 (V)“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like ^(W)a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like ^(X)a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Authority of Jesus

²⁸ And when Jesus finished these sayings, ^(Y)the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ^29 (Z)for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

8 When he came down from the mountain, ^(AA)great crowds followed him. ^2 (AB)And behold, a leper^[b] came to him and ^(AC)knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ³ And Jesus^[c] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus said to him, ^(AD)“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, ^(AE)show yourself to the priest and ^(AF)offer the gift that Moses commanded, ^(AG)for a proof to them.”

The Faith of a Centurion

^5 (AH)When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ⁶ “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” ⁷ And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but ^(AI)only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,^[d] ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, ^(AJ)he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with ^(AK)no one in Israel^[e] have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, ^(AL)many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ^12 (AM)while the sons of the kingdom ^(AN)will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place ^(AO)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹³ And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you ^(AP)as you have believed.” ^(AQ)And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

^14 (AR)And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw ^(AS)his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. ¹⁵ He ^(AT)touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. ¹⁶ That evening they brought to him many who were ^(AU)oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits ^(AV)with a word and healed all who were sick. ^17 (AW)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ^(AX)“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

¹⁸ Now ^(AY)when Jesus saw a crowd around him, ^(AZ)he gave orders to go over to the other side. ^19 (BA)And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ²⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ²¹ Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ²² And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave ^(BB)the dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

^23 (BC)And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but ^(BD)he was asleep. ²⁵ And they went and woke him, saying, ^(BE)“Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” ²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you ^(BF)afraid, ^(BG)O you of little faith?” Then he rose and ^(BH)rebuked the winds and the sea, and ^(BI)there was a great calm. ²⁷ And the men ^(BJ)marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even ^(BK)winds and sea obey him?”

Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

^28 (BL)And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,^[f] two ^(BM)demon-possessed^[g] men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ And behold, they ^(BN)cried out, “What have you to do with us, ^(BO)O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us ^(BP)before the time?” ³⁰ Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. ³¹ And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” ³² And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. ³³ The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the ^(BQ)demon-possessed men. ³⁴ And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, ^(BR)they begged him to leave their region.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

9 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to ^(BS)his own city. ^2 (BT)And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus ^(BU)saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ^(BV)“Take heart, my son; ^(BW)your sins are forgiven.” ³ And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, ^(BX)“This man is blaspheming.” ⁴ But Jesus, ^(BY)knowing^[h] their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ⁷ And he rose and went home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it, ^(BZ)they were afraid, and ^(CA)they glorified God, who had ^(CB)given such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew

^9 (CC)As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called ^(CD)Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

¹⁰ And as Jesus^[i] reclined at table in the house, behold, many ^(CE)tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ^(CF)“Why does your teacher eat with ^(CG)tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ Go and learn ^(CH)what this means: ^(CI)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For ^(CJ)I came not to call the righteous, ^(CK)but sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

¹⁴ Then ^(CL)the disciples of John came to him, saying, ^(CM)“Why do we and ^(CN)the Pharisees fast,^[j] but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, ^(CO)“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? ^(CP)The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^(CQ)then they will fast. ¹⁶ No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. ¹⁷ Neither is new wine put into old ^(CR)wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

^18 (CS)While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and ^(CT)knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. ²⁰ And behold, a woman ^(CU)who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched ^(CV)the fringe of his garment, ²¹ for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” ²² Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ^(CW)“Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” ^(CX)And instantly^[k] the woman was made well. ²³ And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw ^(CY)the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, ²⁴ he said, “Go away, for ^(CZ)the girl is not dead but ^(DA)sleeping.” And they laughed at him. ²⁵ But ^(DB)when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and ^(DC)took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ And the report of this went through all that district.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

^27 (DD)And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, ^(DE)Son of David.” ²⁸ When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” ^29 (DF)Then he touched their eyes, saying, ^(DG)“According to your faith be it done to you.” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, ^(DH)“See that no one knows about it.” ^31 (DI)But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak

³² As they were going away, behold, a ^(DJ)demon-oppressed man who was mute ^(DK)was brought to him. ³³ And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds ^(DL)marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” ³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few

^35 (DM)And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. ^36 (DN)When he saw the crowds, ^(DO)he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, ^(DP)like sheep without a shepherd. ^37 (DQ)Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ^(DR)pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to ^(DS)send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Twelve Apostles

10 ^(DT)And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. ^2 (DU)The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, ^(DV)who is called Peter, and ^(DW)Andrew his brother; ^(DX)James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and ^(DY)Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;^{[l] 4} Simon the Zealot,^[m] and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

^5 (DZ)These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of ^(EA)the Samaritans, ^6 (EB)but go rather to ^(EC)the lost sheep of ^(ED)the house of Israel. ⁷ And proclaim as you go, saying, ^(EE)‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’^{[n] 8 (EF)}Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,^[o] cast out demons. ^(EG)You received without paying; give without pay. ^9 (EH)Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, ¹⁰ no bag for your journey, or two tunics^[p] or sandals or a staff, for ^(EI)the laborer deserves his food. ¹¹ And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. ¹² As you enter the house, ^(EJ)greet it. ¹³ And if the house is ^(EK)worthy, let ^(EL)your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let ^(EM)your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, ^(EN)shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, ^(EO)it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for ^(EP)the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Persecution Will Come

^16 (EQ)“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be ^(ER)wise as serpents and ^(ES)innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Beware of men, for ^(ET)they will deliver you over to courts and flog you ^(EU)in their synagogues, ^18 (EV)and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, ^(EW)to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. ^19 (EX)When ^(EY)they deliver you over, ^(EZ)do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for ^(FA)what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. ^20 (FB)For it is not you who speak, but ^(FC)the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ^21 (FD)Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, ^22 (FE)and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ^(FF)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When they ^(FG)persecute you in one town, ^(FH)flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel ^(FI)before the Son of Man comes.

^24 (FJ)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant^[q] above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. ^(FK)If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign^[r] those of his household.

Have No Fear

²⁶ “So have no fear of them, ^(FL)for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on ^(FM)the housetops. ²⁸ And ^(FN)do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him ^(FO)who can destroy both soul and body in hell.^{[s] 29} Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^[t] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But ^(FP)even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear not, therefore; ^(FQ)you are of more value than many sparrows. ^32 (FR)So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but ^(FS)whoever denies me before men, ^(FT)I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword

^34 (FU)“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. ^(FV)I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ^35 (FW)For I have come ^(FX)to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ^36 (FY)And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. ^37 (FZ)Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And ^(GA)whoever does not take his cross and ^(GB)follow me is not worthy of me. ^39 (GC)Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

^40 (GD)“Whoever receives you receives me, and ^(GE)whoever receives me receives him who sent me. ^41 (GF)The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. ⁴² And ^(GG)whoever gives one of ^(GH)these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Messengers from John the Baptist

11 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

^2 (GI)Now when John heard ^(GJ)in prison about the deeds of ^(GK)the Christ, he sent word by ^(GL)his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you ^(GM)the one who is to come, or shall we ^(GN)look for another?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ^5 (GO)the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers^[u] are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and ^(GP)the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who ^(GQ)is not offended by me.”

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ^(GR)into the wilderness to see? ^(GS)A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? A man^[v] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? ^(GT)A prophet?^[w] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written,

¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ^12 (GV)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,^[x] and the violent take it by force. ^13 (GW)For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴ and if you are willing to accept it, he is ^(GX)Elijah who is to come. ^15 (GY)He who has ears to hear,^[y] let him hear.

¹⁶ “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

¹⁸ For John came ^(GZ)neither eating ^(HA)nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came ^(HB)eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, ^(HC)a friend of ^(HD)tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”^[z]

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

^20 (HE)Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. ^21 (HF)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in ^(HG)Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ^22 (HH)But I tell you, it will be more bearable on ^(HI)the day of judgment for ^(HJ)Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³ And you, ^(HK)Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to ^(HL)Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ^24 (HM)But I tell you that ^(HN)it will be more tolerable on ^(HO)the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

^25 (HP)At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, ^(HQ)Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(HR)you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and ^(HS)revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your ^(HT)gracious will.^{[aa] 27 (HU)}All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son ^(HV)except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone ^(HW)to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ^28 (HX)Come to ^(HY)me, all who labor and are ^(HZ)heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and ^(IA)learn from me, for I am ^(IB)gentle and lowly in heart, and ^(IC)you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For ^(ID)my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time ^(IE)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^(IF)they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^(IG)“Look, your disciples are doing ^(IH)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³ He said to them, ^(II)“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴ how he entered the house of God and ate ^(IJ)the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read ^(IK)in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶ I tell you, ^(IL)something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ And if you had known ^(IM)what this means, ^(IN)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For ^(IO)the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

⁹ He went on from there and ^(IP)entered their synagogue. ¹⁰ And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ^(IQ)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—^(IR)so that they might accuse him. ¹¹ He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, ^(IS)if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ^12 (IT)Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So ^(IU)it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And ^(IV)the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God's Chosen Servant

¹⁵ Jesus, aware of this, ^(IW)withdrew from there. And ^(IX)many followed him, and he healed them all ¹⁶ and ^(IY)ordered them not to make him known. ^17 (IZ)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

^22 (JE)Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. ^23 (JF)And all the people were amazed, and said, ^(JG)“Can this be the Son of David?” ²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ^(JH)“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” ^25 (JI)Knowing their thoughts, ^(JJ)he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. ²⁶ And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, ^(JK)by whom do ^(JL)your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if it is ^(JM)by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then ^(JN)the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹ Or ^(JO)how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed ^(JP)he may plunder his house. ^30 (JQ)Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ^31 (JR)Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but ^(JS)the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² And whoever speaks a word ^(JT)against the Son of Man ^(JU)will be forgiven, but ^(JV)whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in ^(JW)this age or in the age to come.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

^33 (JX)“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, ^(JY)for the tree is known by its fruit. ^34 (JZ)You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, ^(KA)when you are evil? ^(KB)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ^35 (KC)The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ³⁶ I tell you, ^(KD)on the day of judgment ^(KE)people will give account for ^(KF)every careless word they speak, ³⁷ for ^(KG)by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, ^(KH)we wish to see a sign from you.” ³⁹ But he answered them, ^(KI)“An evil and ^(KJ)adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For ^(KK)just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, ^(KL)so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ^41 (KM)The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and ^(KN)condemn it, for ^(KO)they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^(KP)something greater than Jonah is here. ^42 (KQ)The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, ^(KR)something greater than Solomon is here.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

⁴³ “When ^(KS)the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through ^(KT)waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and ^(KU)the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this ^(KV)evil generation.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

⁴⁶ While he was still speaking to the people, behold, ^(KW)his mother and his ^(KX)brothers^[ab] stood outside, asking to speak to him.^{[ac] 48} But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ For ^(KY)whoever ^(KZ)does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house ^(LA)and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds gathered about him, ^(LB)so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And ^(LC)he told them many things in parables, saying: ^(LD)“A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but ^(LE)when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, ^(LF)they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among ^(LG)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some ^(LH)a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ^9 (LI)He who has ears,^[ad] let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, ^(LJ)“To you it has been given to know ^(LK)the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ^12 (LL)For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, ^(LM)even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because ^(LN)seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, ^(LO)nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

¹⁶ But ^(LU)blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ^17 (LV)For truly, I say to you, ^(LW)many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

^18 (LX)“Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of ^(LY)the kingdom and ^(LZ)does not understand it, ^(MA)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately ^(MB)receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but ^(MC)endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately ^(MD)he falls away.^{[ae] 22} As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but ^(ME)the cares of ^(MF)the world and ^(MG)the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and ^(MH)understands it. He indeed ^(MI)bears fruit and yields, in one case ^(MJ)a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ He put another parable before them, saying, ^(MK)“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵ but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds^[af] among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ And the servants^[ag] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he said, ^(ML)‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ^(MM)“Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

³¹ He put another parable before them, saying, ^(MN)“The kingdom of heaven is like ^(MO)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

³³ He told them another parable. ^(MP)“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^(MQ)three measures of flour, till it was ^(MR)all leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables

^34 (MS)All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:^[ah]

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into ^(MW)the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, ^(MX)“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 is ^(MY)the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are ^(MZ)the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. ^(NA)The harvest is ^(NB)the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds ^(NC)are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at ^(ND)the end of the age.