Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



We'll go find David wherever he's hiding. We'll fall on him like dew on the ground! We'll kill him and all of his men, and we won't leave even one man alive!

He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.


He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom from heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the crop came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared, too. read more.
"The owner's servants came and asked him, "Master, you sowed good seed in your field, didn't you? Then where did these weeds come from?' "He told them, "An enemy did this!' "The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them out?' "He said, "No! If you pull out the weeds, you might pull out the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles for burning, but bring the wheat into my barn."'" He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom from heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, when it is fully grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, and the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches." He told them another parable: "The kingdom from heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet when he said, "I will open my mouth to speak in parables. I will declare what has been hidden since the creation of the world." Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and asked, "Explain to us the parable about the weeds in the field." He answered, "The person who sowed good seed is the Son of Man, while the field is the world. The good seed are those who belong to the kingdom, while the weeds are those who belong to the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the Devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Just as weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes others to sin and those who practice lawlessness and they will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!" "The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field." "Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it." "Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea that gathered all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen hauled it ashore. Then they sat down, sorted the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. That is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, cull out the evil people from among the righteous ones, and will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." "Do you understand all these things?" They told him, "Yes." Then he told them, "That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest." When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place.

He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. read more.
But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come." He was also saying, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it's the smallest of all the seeds on earth, when it's planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade." With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.


He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. read more.
But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come."


As they were listening to this, Jesus went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and because the people thought that the kingdom of God would appear immediately. So he said, "A prince went to a distant country to be appointed king and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten coins. He told them, "Invest this money until I come back.' read more.
But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation to follow him and to announce, "We don't want this man to rule over us!' "After he was appointed king, the prince came back. He ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called so he could find out what they had earned by investing. The first servant came and said, "Sir, your coin has earned ten more coins.' The king told him, "Well done, good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.' "The second servant came and said, "Your coin, sir, has earned five coins.' The king told him, "You take charge of five cities.' "Then the other servant came and said, "Sir, look! Here's your coin. I've kept it in a cloth for safekeeping because I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You withdraw what you didn't deposit and harvest what you didn't plant.' The king told him, "I will judge you by your own words, you evil servant! You knew, did you, that I was a hard man, and that I withdraw what I didn't deposit and harvest what I didn't plant? Then why didn't you put my money in the bank? When I returned, I could have collected it with interest.' "So the king told those standing nearby, "Take the coin away from him and give it to the man who has the ten coins.' They answered him, "Sir, he already has ten coins!' "I tell you, to everyone who has something, more will be given, but from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king bring them here and slaughter them in my presence!'"

"The kingdom from heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. After agreeing to pay the workers one denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. read more.
He told them, "You go into the vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So off they went. He went out again about noon and about three o'clock and did the same thing. About five o'clock he went out and found some others standing around. He asked them, "Why are you standing here all day long without work?' They told him, "Because no one has hired us.' He told them, "You go into the vineyard as well.' "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his manager, "Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' Those who were hired at five o'clock came, and each received a denarius. "When the first came, they thought they would receive more, but each received a denarius as well. When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner, "These last fellows worked only one hour, but you paid them the same as us, and we've been working all day, enduring the scorching heat!' "But he told one of them, "Friend, I'm not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn't you? Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as I gave you. I am allowed to do what I want with my own money, am I not? Or are you envious because I'm generous?' "In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen."

He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom from heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the crop came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared, too. read more.
"The owner's servants came and asked him, "Master, you sowed good seed in your field, didn't you? Then where did these weeds come from?' "He told them, "An enemy did this!' "The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them out?' "He said, "No! If you pull out the weeds, you might pull out the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles for burning, but bring the wheat into my barn."'" He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom from heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, when it is fully grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, and the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches." He told them another parable: "The kingdom from heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet when he said, "I will open my mouth to speak in parables. I will declare what has been hidden since the creation of the world." Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and asked, "Explain to us the parable about the weeds in the field." He answered, "The person who sowed good seed is the Son of Man, while the field is the world. The good seed are those who belong to the kingdom, while the weeds are those who belong to the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the Devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Just as weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes others to sin and those who practice lawlessness and they will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!" "The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field." "Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it." "Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea that gathered all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen hauled it ashore. Then they sat down, sorted the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. That is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, cull out the evil people from among the righteous ones, and will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." "Do you understand all these things?" They told him, "Yes." Then he told them, "That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest."

"That is why the kingdom from heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he had begun to settle the accounts, a person who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to him. Because he couldn't pay, his master ordered him, his wife, his children, and everything that he owned to be sold so that payment could be made. read more.
Then the servant fell down and bowed low before him, saying, "Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything!' The master of that servant had compassion and released him, canceling his debt. "But when that servant went away, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, seized him by the throat, and said, "Pay what you owe!' Then his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, "Be patient with me and I will repay you!' But he refused and had him thrown into prison until he could repay the debt. "When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very disturbed and went and reported to their master everything that had occurred. Then his master sent for him and told him, "You evil servant! I canceled that entire debt for you because you begged me. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?' In anger his master handed him over to the jailers until he could repay the entire debt. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you forgive your brother from your hearts."

Now one of those eating with him heard this and told him, "How blessed is the person who will eat in the kingdom of God!" Jesus told him, "A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, "Come! Everything is now ready.' read more.
Every single one of them began asking to be excused. The first told him, "I bought a field, and I need to go out and inspect it. Please excuse me.' Another said, "I bought five pairs of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, "I recently got married, so I can't come.' "So the servant went back and reported all this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and told his servant, "Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' The servant said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' Then the master told the servant, "Go out into the streets and the lanes and make the people come in, so that my house may be full. Because I tell all of you, none of those men who were invited will taste anything at my banquet.'"

"At that time, the kingdom from heaven will be comparable to ten bridesmaids who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the groom. Now five of them were foolish, and five were wise, because when the foolish ones took their lamps, they didn't take any oil with them. read more.
But the wise ones took flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the groom was late, all of them became sleepy and lay down. But at midnight there came a shout: "The groom is here! Come out to meet him!' Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. "But the foolish ones told the wise, "Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out!' "But the wise ones replied, "No! There will never be enough for us and for you. You'd better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' "While they were away buying it, the groom arrived. Those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was closed. Later, the other bridesmaids arrived and said, "Lord, lord, open up for us!' "But he replied, "I tell all of you with certainty, I don't know you!' So keep on watching, because you don't know the day or the hour." "Similarly, it is like a man going on a trip, who called his servants and turned his money over to them. To one man he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, based on their ability. Then he went on his trip. "The one who received five talents went out at once and invested them and earned five more. In the same way, the one who had two talents earned two more. But the one who received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and buried his master's money. "After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came up and brought five more talents. "Master,' he said, "you gave me five talents. See, I've earned five more talents.' "His master told him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you've been trustworthy with a small amount, I'll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's joy!' "The one with two talents also came forward and said, "Master, you gave me two talents. See, I've earned two more talents. "His master told him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you've been trustworthy with a small amount, I'll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's joy!' "Then the one who had received one talent came forward and said, "Master, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you haven't planted and gathering where you haven't scattered any seed. Since I was afraid, I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here, take what's yours!' "His master answered him, "You evil and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvested where I haven't planted and gathered where I haven't scattered any seed? Then you should've invested my money with the bankers. When I returned, I would've received my money back with interest.' Then the master said, "Take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten talents, because to everyone who has something, more will be given, and he'll have more than enough. But from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away from him. Throw this useless servant into the darkness outside! In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

"The kingdom from heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the wedding, but they refused to come. So he sent other servants after saying, "Tell those who have been invited, "Look! I've prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened calves have been slaughtered. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding!"' read more.
But they paid no attention to this and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest grabbed the king's servants, treated them brutally, and then killed them. Then the king became outraged. He sent his troops, and they destroyed those murderers and burned their city. "Then he told his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go into the roads leading out of town and invite as many people as you can find to the wedding.' Those servants went out into the streets and brought in everyone they found, evil and good alike, and the wedding hall was packed with guests. "When the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked him, "Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' But the man was speechless. Then the king told his servants, "Tie his hands and feet, and throw him into the darkness outside!' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, because many are invited, but few are chosen."

Then Jesus told them, "A lamp isn't brought indoors to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? It's to be put on a lamp stand, isn't it? Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is secret except for the purpose of having it come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen! read more.
He went on to say to them, "Pay attention to what you're hearing! You will be evaluated by the same standard with which you do your evaluating, and still more will be given to you, because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away." He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come." He was also saying, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it's the smallest of all the seeds on earth, when it's planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade." With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.

So Jesus went on to say, "What is the kingdom of God like? What can I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches." Again he said, "To what can I compare the kingdom of God? read more.
It's like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."


He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom from heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the crop came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared, too. read more.
"The owner's servants came and asked him, "Master, you sowed good seed in your field, didn't you? Then where did these weeds come from?' "He told them, "An enemy did this!' "The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them out?' "He said, "No! If you pull out the weeds, you might pull out the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles for burning, but bring the wheat into my barn."'"

He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. read more.
But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come."

while the field is the world. The good seed are those who belong to the kingdom, while the weeds are those who belong to the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the Devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Just as weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at end of the age. read more.
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes others to sin and those who practice lawlessness and they will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!"


He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. read more.
But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come."


That day Jesus left the house and sat down beside the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the entire crowd stood on the shore. Then he began to tell them many things in parables. He said, "Listen! A farmer went out to sow. read more.
As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on stony ground, where they did not have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once because the soil wasn't deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up. Other seeds fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew higher and choked them out. But other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some 100, some 60, and some 30 times what was sown. Let the person who has ears listen!" Then the disciples came and asked Jesus, "Why do you speak to people in parables?" He answered them, "You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from heaven, but it hasn't been given to them, because to anyone who has something, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who doesn't have anything, even what he has will be taken away from him. That's why I speak to them in parables, because "they look but don't see, and they listen but don't hear or understand.' "With them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says: "You will listen and listen but never understand. You will look and look but never comprehend, for this people's heart has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing. They have shut their eyes so that they might not see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' "How blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear! I tell all of you with certainty, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but did not see them, and to hear the things you hear but did not hear them." "Listen, then, to the parable about the farmer. When anyone hears the word about the kingdom yet doesn't understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on the stony ground, this is the person who hears the word and accepts it joyfully at once, but since he doesn't have any root in himself, he lasts for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls away. As for what was sown among the thorn bushes, this is the person who hears the word, but the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of wealth choke the word so that it can't produce a crop. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word, understands it, and produces a crop that yields 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown." He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom from heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the crop came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared, too. "The owner's servants came and asked him, "Master, you sowed good seed in your field, didn't you? Then where did these weeds come from?' "He told them, "An enemy did this!' "The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them out?' "He said, "No! If you pull out the weeds, you might pull out the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles for burning, but bring the wheat into my barn."'" He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom from heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, when it is fully grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, and the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches." He told them another parable: "The kingdom from heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet when he said, "I will open my mouth to speak in parables. I will declare what has been hidden since the creation of the world." Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and asked, "Explain to us the parable about the weeds in the field." He answered, "The person who sowed good seed is the Son of Man, while the field is the world. The good seed are those who belong to the kingdom, while the weeds are those who belong to the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the Devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Just as weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes others to sin and those who practice lawlessness and they will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!" "The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field." "Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it." "Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea that gathered all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen hauled it ashore. Then they sat down, sorted the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. That is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, cull out the evil people from among the righteous ones, and will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." "Do you understand all these things?" They told him, "Yes." Then he told them, "That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest."

He began teaching them many things in parables. While he was teaching them he said, "Listen! A farmer went out to sow. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. read more.
Others fell on stony ground, where they didn't have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once, because the soil wasn't deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they didn't have any roots, they dried up. Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes came up and choked them out, and they didn't produce anything. But others fell on good soil and produced a crop. They grew up, increased in size, and produced 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown." He added, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!" When he was alone with the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the parables. He told them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables so that "they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not understand, otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven.'" Then he told them, "You don't understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others are like the seeds sown on the stony ground. When they hear the word, at once they joyfully accept it, but since they don't have any roots, they last for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall away. Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the people who hear the word, but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can't produce a crop. Others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown." Then Jesus told them, "A lamp isn't brought indoors to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? It's to be put on a lamp stand, isn't it? Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is secret except for the purpose of having it come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen! He went on to say to them, "Pay attention to what you're hearing! You will be evaluated by the same standard with which you do your evaluating, and still more will be given to you, because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away." He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come." He was also saying, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it's the smallest of all the seeds on earth, when it's planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade." With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand.


"The kingdom from heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

He told them another parable: "The kingdom from heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."

"At that time, the kingdom from heaven will be comparable to ten bridesmaids who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the groom.


"The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field."

He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom from heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom from heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field.

"Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea that gathered all kinds of fish.

He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground.

So Jesus went on to say, "What is the kingdom of God like? What can I compare it to?


We'll go find David wherever he's hiding. We'll fall on him like dew on the ground! We'll kill him and all of his men, and we won't leave even one man alive!

He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.


Then he began to tell them many things in parables. He said, "Listen! A farmer went out to sow. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on stony ground, where they did not have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once because the soil wasn't deep. read more.
But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up. Other seeds fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew higher and choked them out. But other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some 100, some 60, and some 30 times what was sown.

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, were trampled on, and birds from the sky ate them up. Others fell on stony ground, and as soon as they came up, they dried up because they had no moisture. Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew with them and choked them. read more.
But others fell on good soil, and when they came up, they produced 100 times as much as was planted." As he said this, he called out, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!" Then his disciples began to ask him what this parable meant. So he said, "You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom of God. But to others they are given in parables, so that "they might look but not see, and they might listen but not understand.'" "Now this is what the parable means. The seed is God's word. The ones on the path are the people who listen, but then the Devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the stony ground are the people who joyfully welcome the word when they hear it. But since they don't have any roots, they believe for a while, but in a time of testing they fall away. The ones that fell among the thorn bushes are the people who listen, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, wealth, and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn't mature. But the ones on the good soil are the people who hear the word but also hold on to it with good and honest hearts, producing a crop through endurance."

"Listen! A farmer went out to sow. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. Others fell on stony ground, where they didn't have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once, because the soil wasn't deep. read more.
But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they didn't have any roots, they dried up. Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes came up and choked them out, and they didn't produce anything. But others fell on good soil and produced a crop. They grew up, increased in size, and produced 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown." He added, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!" When he was alone with the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the parables. He told them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables so that "they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not understand, otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven.'" Then he told them, "You don't understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others are like the seeds sown on the stony ground. When they hear the word, at once they joyfully accept it, but since they don't have any roots, they last for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall away. Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the people who hear the word, but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can't produce a crop. Others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown."

"Listen, then, to the parable about the farmer. When anyone hears the word about the kingdom yet doesn't understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on the stony ground, this is the person who hears the word and accepts it joyfully at once, read more.
but since he doesn't have any root in himself, he lasts for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls away. As for what was sown among the thorn bushes, this is the person who hears the word, but the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of wealth choke the word so that it can't produce a crop. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word, understands it, and produces a crop that yields 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown."

He answered, "The person who sowed good seed is the Son of Man, while the field is the world. The good seed are those who belong to the kingdom, while the weeds are those who belong to the evil one.

He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn't know how the ground produces grain by itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. read more.
But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come." He was also saying, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it's the smallest of all the seeds on earth, when it's planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade."