24He put another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of the heavens is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25but while the people were sleeping his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away.
26But when the stalk sprouted and produced fruit, then the tares also appeared.
27So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
28He said to them, ‘An enemy did it.’ The servants said to him, ‘So do you want us to go and gather them up?’
29But he said: ‘No, lest gathering up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
31He put another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;
32which indeed is smaller than all the seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than all the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and rest in its branches.”
33He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of the heavens is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened.”
34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and without a parable He did not speak to them,
35so that what was spoken through the prophet should be fulfilled, namely: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
36Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples approached Him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37So He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of the Man.
38The field is the world; as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, while the tares are the sons of the malignant one.
39The enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40Therefore just as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
41The Son of the Man will send out His angels, and they will collect out of His kingdom everything that is offensive, and those who perpetrate lawlessness;
42and they will throw them into the furnace of fire. There there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
44“Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and re-hid, and in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, a merchant, seeking beautiful pearls,
46who upon finding one very valuable pearl went and sold everything he had and bought it.
47“Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a seine that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind,
48which, when it was full, they pulled upon the shore; and sitting down they collected the good into vessels, but threw out the bad.
49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth and will separate the malignant out from among the righteous,
50and they will throw them into the furnace of fire. There there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
51Jesus says to them, “Did you understand all these things?” They say to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52So He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been discipled into the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, a householder, who brings out of his reservoir things new and old.”
53Now it happened, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.
54And coming into His hometown He began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said: “Where did this man get this wisdom, and the mighty works?
55Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joses and Simon and Jude?
56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
57So they were offended at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own house.”
58And He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.