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Mark 4
New Life Version
Mark 4
New Life Version
The Picture-Story of the Man Who Planted Seed (A)
4 Jesus began to teach by the sea-shore again. Many people gathered around Him. There were so many He had to get into a boat and sit down. The people were on the shore. 2 He taught them many things by using picture-stories. As He taught, He said, 3 “Listen! A man went out to plant seed. 4 As he planted the seed, some fell by the side of the road. Birds came and ate them. 5 Some seed fell among rocks. It came up at once because there was so little ground. 6 But it dried up when the sun was high in the sky because it had no root. 7 Some seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew and did not give the seed room to grow. This seed gave no grain. 8 Some seed fell on good ground. It came up and grew and gave much grain. Some gave thirty times as much grain. Some gave sixty times as much grain. Some gave one hundred times as much grain.” 9 He said to them, “You have ears, then listen!” 10 Those who were with Jesus and the twelve followers came to Him when He was alone. They asked about the picture-story. 11 He said to them, “You were given the secrets about the holy nation of God. Everything is told in picture-stories to those who are outside the holy nation of God. 12 They see, but do not know what it means. They hear, but do not understand. If they did, they might turn to God and have their sins forgiven.” (B)
Jesus Tells about the Man Who Planted the Seed
13 Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this picture-story? Then how will you understand any of the picture-stories? 14 What the man plants is the Word of God. 15 Those by the side of the road are the ones who hear the Word. As soon as they hear it, the devil comes and takes away the Word that is planted in their hearts. 16 The seed that fell among rocks is like people who receive the Word with joy when they hear it. 17 Their roots are not deep so they live only a short time. When sorrow and trouble come because of the Word, they give up and fall away. 18 The seed that was planted among thorns is like some people who listen to the Word. 19 But the cares of this life let thorns come up. A love for riches and always wanting other things let thorns grow. These things do not give the Word room to grow so it does not give grain. 20 The seed that fell on good ground is like people who hear the Word and understand it. They give much grain. Some give thirty times as much grain. Some give sixty times as much grain. Some give one hundred times as much grain.”
The Picture-Story of the Lamp
21 He said to them, “Is a lamp to be put under a pail or under a bed? Should it not be put on a lamp-stand? 22 Everything that is hidden will be brought into the light. Everything that is a secret will be made known. 23 You have ears, then listen!”
24 Jesus said to them, “Be careful what you listen to. The same amount you give will be given to you, and even more. 25 He who has, to him will be given. To him who does not have, even the little he has will be taken from him.”
The Picture-Story of the Grain
26 He said, “The holy nation of God is like a man who plants seed in the ground. 27 He goes to sleep every night and gets up every day. The seed grows, but he does not know how. 28 The earth gives fruit by itself. The leaf comes first and then the young grain can be seen. And last, the grain is ready to gather. 29 As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it. The time of gathering the grain has come.”
The Picture-Story of the Mustard Seed
30 Jesus said, “In what way can we show what the holy nation of God is like? Or what picture-story can we use to help you understand? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed that is planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds. 32 After it is put in the ground, it grows and becomes the largest of the spices. It puts out long branches so birds of the sky can live in it.” 33 As they were able to understand, He spoke the Word to them by using many picture-stories. 34 Jesus helped His followers understand everything when He was alone with them.
The Wind and Waves Obey Jesus (C)
35 It was evening of that same day. Jesus said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 After sending the people away, they took Jesus with them in a boat. It was the same boat He used when He taught them. Other little boats went along with them. 37 A bad wind storm came up. The waves were coming over the side of the boat. It was filling up with water. 38 Jesus was in the back part of the boat sleeping on a pillow. They woke Him up, crying out, “Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?” 39 He got up and spoke sharp words to the wind. He said to the sea, “Be quiet! Be still.” At once the wind stopped blowing. There were no more waves. 40 He said to His followers, “Why are you so full of fear? Do you not have faith?” 41 They were very much afraid and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey Him!”
Mark 4
New International Version
Mark 4
New International Version
The Parable of the Sower(A)(B)
4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.(C) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables,(D) and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.(E) 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”(F)
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”(G)
10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God(H) has been given to you. But to those on the outside(I) everything is said in parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”(J)
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word.(K) 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan(L) comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth(M) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
A Lamp on a Stand
21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?(N) 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.(O) 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”(P)
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.(Q) 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”(R)
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.(S) A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”(T)
The Parable of the Mustard Seed(U)
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,(V) or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.(W) 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable.(X) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
Jesus Calms the Storm(Y)
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.(Z) There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”(AA)
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Footnotes
- Mark 4:12 Isaiah 6:9,10
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