57 Bible Verses about Parables

and say: Thus hath the Lord GOD said, A great eagle with great wings and long members, full of feathers of diverse colours, came unto Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar:

Thus hath the LORD said unto me, Go and buy thee a linen girdle and put it upon thy loins, and thou shalt not put it in water.

Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard in the horn of the sons of oil;

and thou shalt say, How hast thy mother, the lioness, lain down among the lions? She raised her whelps among the young lions. And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey and to devour men.

And speak unto the house of rebellion by parable and say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:

And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the others in parables that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand.

Then the disciples came and said unto him, Why dost thou speak unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not given. For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have in abundance; but whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that which he has. read more.
Therefore, I speak to them in parables because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive; for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them.

And when he was alone, those that were close to him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto those that are without, all these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the congregations ; To him that overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

who was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter enigmas of old,

Jesus spoke all these things unto the multitude in parables and said nothing unto them without parables that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

And with many such parables he spoke the word unto them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable he did not speak unto them; and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

He put forth another parable unto them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens is likened unto a man who sows good seed in his field But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then the tares appeared also. read more.
So the slaves of the husband of the house came and said unto him, Lord, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? From where then does it have tares? He said unto them, The enemy, a man, has done this. The slaves said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, No, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house, and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked; read more.
and the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this age. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and those who do iniquity and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

And Jehoash, the king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, this reply, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife. And the wild beasts that were in Lebanon passed by and trode down the thistle.

And Joash, king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife. And behold, the wild beasts that were in Lebanon, passed by, and trode down the thistle.

A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell along the way, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon the rock, and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. read more.
And some fell on good ground and sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that has ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the others in parables that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the way are those that hear; then comes the devil and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock are those that when they hear, receive the word with joy, but these have no root, who for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are those who when they have heard go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are those who in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.

And he spoke many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some of the seed fell beside the way, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprang up because they had no deepness of earth; read more.
and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But some fell into good ground and brought forth fruit: one a hundredfold and another sixtyfold and another thirtyfold. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Then the disciples came and said unto him, Why dost thou speak unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not given. For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have in abundance; but whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that which he has. Therefore, I speak to them in parables because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive; for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he who was planted beside the way. But he that was planted in stony places, the same is he that hears the word and receives it immediately with joy; yet he has no root in himself but is temporal, for when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, by and by he is offended. And he that was planted among the thorns is he that hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he that was planted in good ground is he that hears the word and understands it and who also bears the fruit and brings forth: one a hundredfold and another sixty and another thirty.

So likewise, any one of you that does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.

For which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it? Lest perhaps after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Thy mother was like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters, bearing fruit and spreading forth branches by reason of the many waters. And she had strong rods for the sceptres of those that bore rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height and with the multitude of her branches. But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; her branches were broken, and she withered; fire consumed the rod of her strength. read more.
And now she is planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty ground. And fire is gone out of the rod from her branches, which has devoured her fruit, so that no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule has remained in her. This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation.

He also took of the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters and set it as a willow tree. And it grew and became a vine of many branches, low of stature, whose branches looked at him, and its roots were under him: so it became a vine and brought forth branches and shot forth sprigs. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, this vine joined her roots toward him and extended her branches toward him that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. read more.
It was planted in a good soil by many waters that it might bring forth branches and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. Say thou: Thus hath the Lord GOD said, Shall it be prospered? Shall he not pull it up its roots and destroy its fruit and let it wither? All of the leaves of her spring shall wither, even without great power or many people plucking it up by its roots. Yea, behold, being planted, shall it be prospered? Shall it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

No one, when he has lighted a lamp, puts it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a lampstand that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is sincere, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore if the light which is in thee is darkness. read more.
If thy whole body therefore is full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light as when the bright shining of a lamp doth give thee light.

And he also said unto them, Is the lamp brought to be put under the bushel or under the bed? and not to be set in the lampstand?

When an armed strong man keeps his palace, his goods are in peace;

No man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods except he will first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house.

Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard in the horn of the sons of oil; and he had fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choicest vine and built a tower in the midst of it and also made a winepress therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. read more.
What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Therefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be eaten up; and break down its wall, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned, nor hoed; but briers and thorns shall come up there; I will even command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of the hosts is the house of Israel and every man of Judah his pleasant plant; and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

In that day sing ye unto the vineyard of the red wine. I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest the enemy visit it, I will keep it night and day.

Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom his lord has made ruler over his household to give them food in due season? Blessed is that slave whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. read more.
But and if that evil slave shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellowslaves and even to eat and drink with the drunken, the lord of that slave shall come in a day when he does not look for him and in an hour that he is not aware of and shall cut him off and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like unto a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind of fish, which, when it was full, they drew to shore and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth and separate the wicked from among the just read more.
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

And calling the multitude unto him, he said unto them, Hear and understand: not that which goes into the mouth defiles the man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles the man. Then his disciples came and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this word? read more.
But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into a pit. Then Peter answered and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

Therefore is the kingdom of the heavens likened unto a man who is king who would take account of his slaves. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents. But he not having wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, to make payment. read more.
The slave therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that slave was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. But as the same slave was leaving, he found one of his fellowslaves who owed him a hundred denarius, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest. And his fellowslave fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay the debt. So when his fellowslaves saw what was done, they were very grieved and came and declared unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked slave, I forgave thee all that debt because thou didst beseech me; was it not also expedient unto thee to have mercy on thy fellowslave even as I had mercy on thee? And his lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you unless from your hearts ye forgive every one his brother their trespasses.

Hear another parable: There was a certain husband of a house who planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went into a far country, and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his slaves to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his slaves and beat one and killed another and stoned another. read more.
Again, he sent other slaves more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us take his inheritance. And they took hold of him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him. Therefore, when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will destroy those wicked men without mercy and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a people bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And as the princes of the priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When his branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass until all these things are fulfilled.

He put forth another parable unto them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; which indeed is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and make their nests in its branches.

But what do you think? A certain man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not, but afterward he repented and went. And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I will go, Lord, and went not. read more.
Which of the two did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go ahead of you into the kingdom of God. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not, but the publicans and the harlots believed him, and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward that ye might believe him.

For it is like a man travelling into a far country, who called his own slaves and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each one according to his faculty, and straightway took his journey. And after he was gone, he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made another five talents. read more.
And likewise he that had received two, he also gained another two. But he that had received one went and dug in the earth and hid his lord's money. And after a long time the lord of those slaves came and reckoned accounts with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, Lord, thou didst deliver unto me five talents; behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful slave; thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou didst deliver unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful slave; thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown and gathering where thou hast not scattered; therefore, I was afraid and went and hid thy talent in the earth; behold, thou hast what is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful slave, thou knewest that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I have not scattered; therefore, it was expedient for thee to have put my money to the bankers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with interest. Take, therefore, the talent from him and give it unto him who has ten talents. For unto every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has. And cast ye the unprofitable slave into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Like unto the way that the one who is lame walks, so is a proverb in the mouth of the fool.

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a certain man, a king, who made a marriage feast for his son and sent forth his slaves to call those that were invited to the wedding, and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other slaves, saying, Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my bulls and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage. read more.
But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise, and the others took his slaves and entreated them spitefully and slew them. But when the king heard of this, he became angry and sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. Then he said to his slaves, The wedding is ready, but those who were called were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the entrances of the highways and call as many as ye shall find to the marriage. So those slaves went out into the highways and gathered together everyone that they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was filled with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on a wedding garment, and he said unto him, Friend, how didst thou come in here not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the slaves, Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into the darkness outside; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.

For the kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man, the husband of a house, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace read more.
and said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle and said unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no one has hired us. He said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatever is right, that shall ye receive. So when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the labourers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when those came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more but they likewise received each one a denarius. And when they had received it, they murmured against the husband of the house, saying, These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us who have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong; didst not thou agree with me for a denarius? Take that which is thine and go, for I desire to give unto this last one, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good? So the first shall be last, and the last first; for many are called, but few are chosen.

Therefore, whosoever hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him unto a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock; and the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that hears these words of mine and does not do them shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; read more.
and the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.

Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be likened unto ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were prudent, and five were foolish. Those that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them; read more.
but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the prudent, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the prudent answered, saying, Lest there be not enough for us and you, but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes.

The trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree replied, Should I leave my fatness, which because of me, God and man are honoured, to go and sway over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou and reign over us. read more.
But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit to go and sway over the trees? Then the trees said unto the vine, Come thou and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, to go and sway over the trees? Then all the trees said unto the bramble, Come thou and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and confide under my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many sheep and cows, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and it grew up together with him and with his children; it ate of his own food and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter. read more.
And a traveller came unto the rich man, who did not wish to take of his own sheep and of his own cows to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that had come to him.

And the king said unto her, What ails thee? And she answered, I am a widow woman, and my husband is dead. And thy handmaid had two sons, and the two strove together in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him. And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and we will destroy the heir also. So they shall quench my coal which is left and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.

Now, therefore, that I have come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. But thy handmaid said to herself, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the word of his handmaid.

And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king, and he said, Thy slave went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside and brought a man unto me and said, Guard this man; if by any means he should get away, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich and the other poor.

But know this that if the husband of the house knew in what watch the thief would come, he would watch and would not suffer his house to be broken into.

Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like unto treasure hid in the field, which when found, a man hides it and, for the joy thereof, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day; and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. read more.
And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom; the rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime didst receive thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted here, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass from there to us. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou would send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, No, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, even though one rose from the dead.

Or what king going to make war against another king does not sit down first and consult whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and desires conditions of peace. So likewise, any one of you that does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. And it so happened that a certain priest came down that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he came near the place and looked on him, he passed by on the other side. read more.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two denarius and gave them to the host and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likewise.

And he said also to the people, When ye see the cloud rising out of the west, straightway ye say, A shower comes, and so it is. And when the south wind blows, ye say, There will be heat, and it comes to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? read more.
Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its savour, with what shall it be seasoned? It is neither good for the land, nor for the dunghill; it is cast out. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my storehouses and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. read more.
And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast stored up? So is he that lays up treasure for himself and is not rich in God.

He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And having called ten of his slaves, he delivered them ten minas and said unto them, Trade until I come. But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. read more.
And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these slaves to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much each one had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy mina has gained ten minas. And he said unto him, Well done, thou good slave; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, thou shalt have authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy mina has made five minas. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy mina, which I have kept laid up in a napkin, for I feared thee because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that which thou didst not lay down and dost reap that which thou didst not sow. Then he said unto him, Out of thine own mouth I will judge thee, thou wicked slave. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that which I did not lay down, and reaping that which I did not sow; why then didst thou not give my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required my own with interest? And he said unto those that stood by, Take from him the mina and give it to him that has the ten minas. (And they said unto him, Lord, he has ten minas.) For I say unto you, That unto every one who has shall be given; and from him that has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. Moreover, those enemies of mine, who were unwilling that I should reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.

As the man who, taking a far journey, left his house and gave his estate to his slaves and to each one his responsibility and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the Lord of the house comes: at evening or at midnight or at the cockcrowing or in the morning, lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. read more.
And what I say unto you, I say unto all: Watch.

When the unclean spirit is gone out of the man, it walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.

And he said, A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of the estate that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and there wasted his estate with riotous living. read more.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he longed to fill his belly with the husks that the swine ate, but no one gave them unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have abundance of bread, and I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no longer worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no longer worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his slaves, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring here the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father has killed the fatted calf because he has received him safe and sound. And he was angry and would not go in, therefore his father came out and intreated him. And he, answering, said to his father, Behold, these many years I have served thee, neither at any time have I transgressed thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come who has devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed the fatted calf for him. And he said unto him, Son, thou art always with me, and all that I have is thine. It was necessary that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.

He spoke another parable unto them: The kingdom of the heavens is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened.

No one mends an old garment with a piece of new cloth, for that patch takes from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

Neither do they put new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the wineskins break, and the wine runs out, and the wineskins perish; but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved together.

And observing how they chose the first seats at the table, he put forth a parable to those who were invited, saying unto them, When thou art called to a wedding by anyone, do not sit down in the highest place, lest a more honourable man than thou be invited of him, and he that called thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place, and thou begin with shame to have the lowest place. read more.
But when thou art called, go and sit down in the lowest place that when he that invited thee comes, he may say unto thee, Friend, come up higher; then shalt thou have glory in the presence of those that sit at the table with thee. For whosoever exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

And he spoke this parable unto some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. read more.
I fast two meals every sabbath; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, reconcile me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for anyone that exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

Or what woman having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.

There was a certain creditor who had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarius, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he released them both from their debt. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. read more.
And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou didst give me no water for my feet; but she has washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet. Thou didst not anoint my head with oil; but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.

For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush do they gather grapes. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil, for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

And why dost thou behold the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but not perceive the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself dost not behold the beam that is in thine own eye? Hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they shall fast.

He also said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring forth and grow up, he knows not how. For the earth brings forth fruit of herself: first the blade, then the ear, after that the full grain in the ear. read more.
But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle because the harvest is come.

And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him and rent it in twelve pieces; and he said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces for thyself, for thus hath said the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to thee; and he shall have one tribe for my slave David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel

Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word: Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, Every bottle shall be filled with wine; and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus hath the LORD said, Behold, I fill all the inhabitants of this land with drunken ness, even the kings that sit upon David's throne and the priests and the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will break them one against another, even the fathers with the sons together, saith the LORD; I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy to not destroy them.

And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king, and he said, Thy slave went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside and brought a man unto me and said, Guard this man; if by any means he should get away, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. And when thy slave was busy here and there, he disappeared. Then the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy sentence be; thou thyself hast decided it. Then he quickly took the veil away from his face; and the king of Israel recognized that he was of the prophets.

Give ye ear and hear my voice; hearken and hear my speech. Does the plowman plow all day to sow? does he open and break the clods of his ground? When he has levelled the face thereof, does he not cast abroad the fitches and scatter the cummin and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rye in their place? read more.
For his God teaches him to know how to judge and instructs him. For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff and the cummin with a rod. Grain is thrashed to make bread; but he will not ever be threshing it, nor shall he grind it with the wheel of his cart, nor crush it with the teeth of his thrashing instrument. This also comes forth from the LORD of the hosts to make his counsel wonderful, and to increase wisdom.

And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend and shall go unto him at midnight and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. read more.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needs. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

And he spoke a parable unto them to this end, that it behooves us always to pray and not faint, saying, There was in a city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man; and there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, Defend me from my adversary. read more.
And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, Though I do not fear God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will do her justice, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge says. And shall not God avenge his own elect who cry day and night unto him though he bears long regarding them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?

And He spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit upon it and found none. Then he said unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none; cut it down; why does it cumber the ground? And he, answering, said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also until I shall dig about it and dung it, read more.
and if it bears fruit, well; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou may no longer be steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord takes the stewardship away from me; I cannot dig, and I am ashamed to beg. read more.
I know what I shall do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called each one of his lord's debtors unto him and said unto the first, How much dost thou owe unto my lord? And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill and sit down quickly and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much dost thou owe? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill and write eighty. And the lord commended the unjust steward because he had done discreetly; for the sons of this age are in their generation more prudent than the sons of light.

I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he shall take away; and every one that bears fruit, he shall purge that they may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. read more.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abides in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I AM the vine, ye are the branches: he that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. read more.
And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And they will not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus spoke this parable unto them, but they did not understand what it was that he spoke unto them.

And he spoke this parable unto them, saying, What man of you having a hundred sheep if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. read more.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you that likewise there shall be more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than over ninety-nine just persons, who need no repentance.

and he became very hungry and would have eaten; but while they made ready, he fell into a rapture of understanding and saw the heaven opened and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and let down to the earth, in which were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth and wild beasts and reptiles and fowls of the air. read more.
And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spoke unto him again the second time, That which God has cleansed, do not call common. This was done three times, and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

And the king said unto her, What ails thee? And she answered, I am a widow woman, and my husband is dead. And thy handmaid had two sons, and the two strove together in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him. And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and we will destroy the heir also. So they shall quench my coal which is left and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. read more.
And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give a command concerning thee. And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me and on my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless. And the king said, Whoever speaks against thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou will not allow the avengers of blood to increase the damage by destroying my son. And he said, As the LORD lives, not one hair of thy son shall fall to the earth. Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay, and likewise some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man, therefore, purges himself from these things, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and profitable for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

For if anyone hears the word and does not put it into practice, this same is like unto the man beholding his natural face in a mirror: For he considered himself and went his way and in one hour forgot what he was like. But whosoever has looked attentively into the perfect law of liberty and has persevered in it, not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, the same shall be blessed in their deed.

Then the LORD said, Thou hast had pity on the gourd for which thou hast not laboured, neither didst thou make it grow; which came up in a night and perished in a night: And shall I not spare Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons, that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, and many animals?

And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice and cried and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the Gentiles and planted it. Thou didst prepare room before it and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the earth. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and its boughs were like the cedars of God. read more.
She sent out her boughs unto the sea and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all those who pass by the way pluck her? The boar out of the wood wastes it, and the wild beast of the field devours it. Return, we beseech thee, O God of the hosts: look down from heaven and behold and visit this vine and the vineyard which thy right hand has planted and the branch that thou didst make strong for thyself. It is burned with fire; it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

And take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, and thou shalt say, How hast thy mother, the lioness, lain down among the lions? She raised her whelps among the young lions. And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey and to devour men. read more.
The Gentiles also heard of him; he was taken in their trap, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. Now when she saw that she had waited a long time and her hope was being lost, then she took another of her whelps and made him a young lion. And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion and learned to catch the prey and devoured men. And he knew their widows, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fullness thereof, by the voice of his roaring. Then the Gentiles set against him on every side from the provinces and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit. And they put him in prison in chains and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into fortresses that his voice should no longer be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many sheep and cows, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and it grew up together with him and with his children; it ate of his own food and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter. read more.
And a traveller came unto the rich man, who did not wish to take of his own sheep and of his own cows to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that had come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the LORD lives, the man that has done this thing is worthy of death, and he shall pay for the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity.

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, but he of the freewoman was born through the promise. Which things are an allegory; for these women are the two covenants: the one from the Mount Sinai, which begat unto slavery, which is Hagar. read more.
For this Hagar or Sinai is a mount in Arabia, which corresponds to the one that is now Jerusalem, which together with her children is in slavery. But the Jerusalem of above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth into praise and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband. So that we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born according to the flesh persecuted him that was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

And speak unto the house of rebellion by parable and say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: gather her pieces of meat into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. Take the choice of the flock and burn also the bones under it and make it boil well and let them seethe the bones of it therein.

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot remain.

And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot remain.

And he spoke a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the pit?

Thou, therefore, work hard as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who has chosen him to be a soldier.

The trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree replied, Should I leave my fatness, which because of me, God and man are honoured, to go and sway over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou and reign over us. read more.
But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit to go and sway over the trees? Then the trees said unto the vine, Come thou and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, to go and sway over the trees? Then all the trees said unto the bramble, Come thou and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and confide under my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

And Jehoash, the king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, this reply, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife. And the wild beasts that were in Lebanon passed by and trode down the thistle.

And also if anyone contends in public contest, he is not crowned, except he contends legitimately.

The husbandman, in order to receive the fruits, must first work hard.