and as for what you sow, it is not the plant which is to be that you are sowing, but a bare grain, of wheat (it may be)

"The sower," He said, "goes out to sow his seed; and as he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and is trodden upon, or the birds of the air come and peck it up.

Those who receive the seed by the way-side are those in whom the Message is sown, but, when they have heard it, Satan comes at once and carries away the Message sown in them.

It is like a mustard-seed, which, when sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds in the world;

When a man hears the Message concerning the Kingdom and does not understand it, the Evil one comes and catches away what has been sown in his heart. This is he who has received the seed by the road-side.

Another parable He put before them. "The Kingdom of the Heavens," He said, "may be compared to a man who has sown good seed in his field,

but during the night his enemy comes, and over the first seed he sows darnel among the wheat, and goes away.

"So the farmer's men come and ask him, "'Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed on your land? Where then does the darnel come from?'

Another parable He put before them. "The Kingdom of the Heavens," He said, "is like a mustard-seed, which a man takes and sows in his ground.

As he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and the birds come and peck it up.

As he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and the birds come and peck it up.

Foolish man! the seed you yourself sow has no life given to it unless it first dies;

(Now the promises were given to Abraham and to his seed. God did not say 'and to seeds,' as if speaking of many, but 'and to your seed,' since He spoke of only one--and this is Christ.)

And God who continually supplies seed for the sower and bread for eating, will supply you with seed and multiply it, and will cause your almsgiving to yield a plentiful harvest.