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Greek: New Testament (NAS)
English: John Barach
Chapter 13
The Parable of the Sower
1  Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐξελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν· 2  καὶ συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοί, ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν εἱστήκει. 3  καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς λέγων, ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν. 4  καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἐλθόντα τὰ πετεινὰ κατέφαγεν αὐτά. 5  ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς, 6  ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη. 7  ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ ἔπνιξαν αὐτά. 8  ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἐδίδου καρπόν, ὃ μὲν ἑκατόν, ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα. 9  ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω.
1On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2And such large crowds gathered to him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Others fell on rocky places where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up immediately because the soil was not deep. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. 7Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Still others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop—some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9Let the one who has ears hear!”
The Purpose of Parables
10  Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, διὰ τί ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖς αὐτοῖς; 11  ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἐκείνοις δὲ οὐ δέδοται. 12  ὅστις γὰρ ἔχει, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καὶ περισσευθήσεται· ὅστις δὲ οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. 13  διὰ τοῦτο ἐν παραβολαῖς αὐτοῖς λαλῶ, ὅτι βλέποντες οὐ βλέπουσιν καὶ ἀκούοντες οὐκ ἀκούουσιν οὐδὲ συνίουσιν, 14  καὶ ἀναπληροῦται αὐτοῖς ἡ προφητεία Ἠσαΐου ἡ λέγουσα,
Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε,
καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε.
15  ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου,
καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν
καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν,
μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς
καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν
καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν
καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς. {Isa. 6:9-10}
10And the disciples approached and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11He answered and said to them, “Because to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12For whoever has, to him more will be given and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13For this reason I speak to them in parables: because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says:
'You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
15For this people’s heart has become calloused,
and with their ears they scarcely hear,
and they have closed their eyes,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart and turn,
and I would heal them.’ {Isa. 6:9-10}
16  ὑμῶν δὲ μακάριοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὅτι βλέπουσιν καὶ τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν ὅτι ἀκούουσιν. 17  ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε καὶ οὐκ εἶδαν, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ ἀκούετε καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν.
16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For truly I say to you that 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.”
18  Ὑμεῖς οὖν ἀκούσατε τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ σπείραντος. 19  παντὸς ἀκούοντος τὸν λόγον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ μὴ συνιέντος ἔρχεται ὁ πονηρὸς καὶ ἁρπάζει τὸ ἐσπαρμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρείς. 20  ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνων αὐτόν, 21  οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστιν, γενομένης δὲ θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζεται. 22  ὁ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων, καὶ ἡ μέριμνα τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου συμπνίγει τὸν λόγον καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται. 23  ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ συνιείς, ὃς δὴ καρποφορεῖ καὶ ποιεῖ ὃ μὲν ἑκατόν, ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα.
18"You, then, listen to the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart; this is the one sown beside the path. 20And the one sown on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21yet he has no root in himself but is short-lived; when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22And the one sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the anxiety of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23But the one sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces—some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24  Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων, ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σπείραντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ. 25  ἐν δὲ τῷ καθεύδειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς καὶ ἐπέσπειρεν ζιζάνια ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σίτου καὶ ἀπῆλθεν. 26  ὅτε δὲ ἐβλάστησεν ὁ χόρτος καὶ καρπὸν ἐποίησεν, τότε ἐφάνη καὶ τὰ ζιζάνια. 27  προσελθόντες δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου εἶπον αὐτῷ, Κύριε, οὐχὶ καλὸν σπέρμα ἔσπειρας ἐν τῷ σῷ ἀγρῷ; πόθεν οὖν ἔχει ζιζάνια; 28  ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτοῖς, ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, θέλεις οὖν ἀπελθόντες συλλέξωμεν αὐτά; 29  ὁ δὲ φησιν, οὔ, μήποτε συλλέγοντες τὰ ζιζάνια ἐκριζώσητε ἅμα αὐτοῖς τὸν σῖτον. 30  ἄφετε συναυξάνεσθαι ἀμφότερα ἕως τοῦ θερισμοῦ, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ θερισμοῦ ἐρῶ τοῖς θερισταῖς, συλλέξατε πρῶτον τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ δήσατε αὐτὰ εἰς δέσμας πρὸς τὸ κατακαῦσαι αὐτά, τὸν δὲ σῖτον συνάγετε εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην μου.
24He presented another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while the people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds in the midst of the wheat and went away. 26And when the stalk sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27So the slaves of the landowner approached and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did the weeds come from?' 28He said to them, ‘An enemy man did this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them?' 29But he said, ‘No, lest while gathering the weeds you uproot the wheat along with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: “First gather the weeds and bind them into bundles to burn them up, but bring the wheat together into my barn.”'”
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
31  Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων, ὁμοία ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ· 32  ὃ μικρότερον μέν ἐστιν πάντων τῶν σπερμάτων, ὅταν δὲ αὐξηθῇ μεῖζον τῶν λαχάνων ἐστὶν καὶ γίνεται δένδρον, ὥστε ἐλθεῖν τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ κατασκηνοῦν ἐν τοῖς κλάδοις αὐτοῦ.
31He presented another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32it is indeed smaller than all other seeds, but when it is grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
33  Ἄλλην παραβολὴν ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς· ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ζύμῃ, ἣν λαβοῦσα γυνὴ ἐνέκρυψεν εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία ἕως οὗ ἐζυμώθη ὅλον.
33He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three satas of flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
The Explanation of the Weeds
34  Ταῦτα πάντα ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν παραβολαῖς τοῖς ὄχλοις καὶ χωρὶς παραβολῆς οὐδὲν ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς, 35  ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος,
Ἀνοίξω ἐν παραβολαῖς τὸ στόμα μου,
ἐρεύξομαι κεκρυμμένα ἀπὸ καταβολῆς [κόσμου]. {Psalm 77 (78):2}
34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables, and He was saying nothing to them without a parable, 35so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will pour out things hidden since the foundation of the world.” {Psalm 77 (78):2}
36  Τότε ἀφεὶς τοὺς ὄχλους ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν. καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες, διασάφησον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολὴν τῶν ζιζανίων τοῦ ἀγροῦ. 37  ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν, ὁ σπείρων τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα ἐστὶν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, 38  ὁ δὲ ἀγρός ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος, τὸ δὲ καλὸν σπέρμα οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας· τὰ δὲ ζιζάνιά εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ, 39  ὁ δὲ ἐχθρὸς ὁ σπείρας αὐτά ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος, ὁ δὲ θερισμὸς συντέλεια+τοῦ αἰῶνός ἐστιν, οἱ δὲ θερισταὶ ἄγγελοί εἰσιν. 40  ὥσπερ οὖν συλλέγεται τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ πυρὶ κατακαίεται, οὕτως ἔσται ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος· 41  ἀποστελεῖ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ, καὶ συλλέξουσιν ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ σκάνδαλα καὶ τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὴν ἀνομίαν 42  καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. 43  τότε οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν. ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω.
36Then, having left the crowds, He went into the house. And His disciples approached Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37And He answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the completion of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the completion of the age. 41The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who practice lawlessness, 42and they will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let the one who has ears hear!”
The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44  Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυρῷ κεκρυμμένῳ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, ὃν εὑρὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔκρυψεν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτοῦ ὑπάγει καὶ πωλεῖ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει καὶ ἀγοράζει τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκεῖνον.
44"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; and in his joy, he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
45  Πάλιν ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ ἐμπόρῳ ζητοῦντι καλοὺς μαργαρίτας· 46  εὑρὼν δὲ ἕνα πολύτιμον μαργαρίτην ἀπελθὼν πέπρακεν πάντα ὅσα εἶχεν καὶ ἠγόρασεν αὐτόν.
45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. 46Upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.”
The Parable of the Dragnet
47  Πάλιν ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν σαγήνῃ βληθείσῃ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ ἐκ παντὸς γένους συναγαγούσῃ, 48  ἣν ὅτε ἐπληρώθη ἀναβιβάσαντες ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν καὶ καθίσαντες συνέλεξαν τὰ καλὰ εἰς ἄγγη, τὰ δὲ σαπρὰ ἔξω ἔβαλον. 49  οὕτως ἔσται ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἐξελεύσονται οἱ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀφοριοῦσιν τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικαίων 50  καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων.
47"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet thrown into the sea, which gathered fish of every kind. 48When it was full, they hauled it up onto the shore; then they sat down and collected the good ones into containers, but the bad ones they threw away. 49So it will be at the completion of the age: the angels will go out and separate the evil from the midst of the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
New Treasures and Old
51  Συνήκατε ταῦτα πάντα; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, ναί. 52  Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, διὰ τοῦτο πᾶς γραμματεὺς μαθητευθεὶς τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν ὅμοιός ἐστιν ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ, ὅστις ἐκβάλλει ἐκ τοῦ θησαυροῦ αὐτοῦ καινὰ καὶ παλαιά.
51"Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52And he said to them, “Therefore, every scribe who has been discipled for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure-chest things both new and old.”
Rejection at Nazareth
53  Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὰς παραβολὰς ταύτας, μετῆρεν ἐκεῖθεν. 54  καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα αὐτοῦ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ αὐτῶν, ὥστε ἐκπλήσσεσθαι αὐτοὺς καὶ λέγειν, πόθεν τούτῳ ἡ σοφία αὕτη καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις; 55  οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱός; οὐχ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ λέγεται Μαριὰμ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Σίμων καὶ Ἰούδας; 56  καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ πᾶσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰσιν; πόθεν οὖν τούτῳ ταῦτα πάντα;
53And it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54And coming into His own hometown, He began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles? 55Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And His sisters, are they not all here with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
57  καὶ ἐσκανδαλίζοντο ἐν αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἔστιν προφήτης ἄτιμος εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ πατρίδι καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ. 58  καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησεν ἐκεῖ δυνάμεις πολλὰς διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν αὐτῶν.
57And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and in his own household.” 58And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.