Mark 4:17-35

¹⁷They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.

¹⁸Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,

¹⁹and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”

²¹He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand?

²²For there is nothing hidden except that it should be made known, neither was anything made secret but that it should come to light.

²³If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁴He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you; and more will be given to you who hear.

²⁵For whoever has, to him more will be given; and he who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.”

²⁶He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,

²⁷and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how.

²⁸For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

²⁹But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

³⁰He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?

³¹It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,

³²yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”

³³With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

³⁴Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

³⁵On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.”