Open English Translation MAT Chapter 13

13 That same day, Yeshua went outside and sat by the lake. 2 [ref]A large crowd of people gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat there while the crowd remained standing on the beach, 3 where he told them many parables, saying, “Listen, a farmer went out to plant seed at that time of the year. 4 As he was spreading the seed, some of it fell beside a path and the birds come and ate that seed. 5 Some fell on stony ground where there wasn’t much soil, and it sprouted immediately because the thin layer of soil was moist and warm, 6 but when the sun rose high, it was scorched and not having any deep roots, it withered up. 7 Some seed fell in a thistle patch, but the thistles grew over them and choked them out. 8 However, some seed landed on the good soil and it grew to bear a harvest—some a hundred times more, some sixty times, and some thirty times. 9 Anyone who wants to hear should strive to understand this.”

10 After this, his apprentices came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 “You guys have been permitted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens,” replied Yeshua, “but not those others.” 12 [ref]Because anyone who already has will be given more and they will end up with plenty, but anyone who doesn’t have, even what they have will be taken away from them. 13 That’s why I speak to them in parables, because when they look they don’t see, and when they listen, they don’t hear or understand, 14 [ref]and so the prophecy written by Isayah is being fulfilled:

‘When you listen you will hear but you certainly won’t understand,

and when you look you will see but you certainly won’t perceive anything.

15 Because these people’s hearts are insensitive and they can barely hear with their ears,

and they shut their eyes so they can’t see with them.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart and then return to me and then I would heal them.’

16 [ref]“But your eyes are blessed because they can see, and your ears also, because they can hear, 17 because I can assure you all that many prophets and godly people wanted to see what you’re seeing, but they didn’t see, and they wanted to hear what you’re all hearing, but they didn’t hear it either.

18 “So now listen concerning the parable about the person spreading seed. 19 Everyone who hears the message about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in that person’s heart. That’s the seed that landed by the path. 20 The seed that landed on the rocky ground, that’s the person who hears the message and is immediately happy to accept it, 21 but doesn’t have any roots of their own so it’s just fleeting—they stumble as soon as there’s any difficulties or persecution because of the message. 22 The seed the landed among the thorns is the person who hears the message, but the worries of the time and the seduction of wealth chokes out the message and it becomes unfruitful. 23 The seed that landed on the good soil is the person who hears the message and understands it and goes on to bear fruit—some people producing a hundred times more, some sixty times, and some thirty times.”[fn]

24 Then Yeshua told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a farmer who’s planted good seed in his field. 25 But the while they were all sleeping, his enemy came and spread black-grained ‘wheat’ seeds around his wheat field and left again. 26 Then when the wheat grew and produced grains, the poisonous ‘wheat’ could also be seen. 27 The farmer’s slave came and told him, ‘Master, wasn’t it good wheat seed that you planted? So why is there so much false wheat?’ 28 ‘An enemy must have done this,’ the farmer replied. ‘So should we go and pull out the bad stuff,’ asked the slaves. 29 ‘No,’ said the farmer, ‘because pulling that out might also pull up some of the wheat plants. 30 ‘Let them all grown together, and then at harvest time I can just tell the harvesters to pull the false wheat plants out first and put then in bundles to be incinerated, and then harvest the wheat to go into my barn.’ ”

31 Another one of his parables went like this: “The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. 32 Even though it’s a very small seed, it grows larger than most garden plants and becomes such a large bush that birds even come and nest in its branches.”

33 In another parable, Yeshua said, “The kingdom of the heavens is like yeast, which a woman took and hid it in a month’s worth of flour, and eventually all of it rose.”

34 Yeshua told all these things to the crowds in the form of parables, in fact he said nothing that wasn’t a parable, 35 [ref]so that that what had been written by the prophet would be fulfilled:

‘I will be saying things that have been hidden since the creation of the world.’

36 Then Yeshua left the crowd and went into the house. His apprentices followed him in and asked him for the interpretation of the parable about the poisonous black wheat in the field.

37 “The farmer spreading the good seed,” Yeshua answered, “is humanity’s child, 38 and the field is the world and the good seeds are the heirs to the kingdom. The false wheat seeds are the disciples of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who planted them in the devil. The harvest is at the end of this age, and the harvesters are God’s messengers. 40 Therefore at the end of this age, the false wheat plants will be gathered and incinerated. 41 humanity’s child will be sending out his messengers to remove all the temptations out of his kingdom, and all those who don’t obey God’s law, 42 and they will throw them into the incinerator, and there will be crying and much anguish. 43 Then the godly people will be shining as bright as the sun in their father’s kingdom. Anyone who is interested to hear, let them listen.

44 “The kingdom of the heavens is like a field that had had treasure hidden in it. When someone found the treasure, they hid it again, and with great excitement went and sold everything they had so they could buy that field.

45 “Also the kingdom of the heavens is like a trader wanting to buy beautiful pearls, 46 and when they found one outstanding pearl, they went and sold everything they had so they could buy that pearl.

47 “Also the kingdom of the heavens is like a dragnet that was thrown into the lake and picked up everything from under the water. 48 When it was full, they pulled it up onto the beach and sat and sorted the catch—throwing the good catch into containers and throwing out the bad stuff. 49 It’ll be just like that at the end of this age—God’s messengers will be coming out and will separate evil people from the godly people, 50 and they will throw the evil ones into the incinerator. There will be crying and great anguish.

51 “Did you all understand all of that?

“Yes,” his apprentices answered.

52 Then he said to them, “Because of this, every teacher who’s been trained about the kingdom of the heavens is like a person who’s a home owner who gives presents of both new and old things of out their valuables.”

53 After Yeshua had finished explaining the parables, he left that place 54 and went to his hometown of Nazareth and taught the people in the Jewish meeting hall. They were amazed at his teaching, asking each other, “Where did this fellow get his wisdom and his ability to do miracles? 55 Isn’t he the son of Yosef, the carpenter? Don’t we know his mother Maria and his brothers Yacob and Yosef and Simon and Yudas? 56 Aren’t his sisters still here in town? So where did he get all these abilities?” 57 [ref]As a result, they didn’t have any respect for him.

But Yeshua said to them, “A prophet is not dishonoured except in his own hometown and among his own household.” 58 So he didn’t do many miracles there because of their unbelief.