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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Mark 4 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/mark/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/mark/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NRSVCE</a> > Mark 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../mark/3.htm" title="Mark 3">◄</a> Mark 4 <a href="../mark/5.htm" title="Mark 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Parable of the Sower</span></h3><p class="chapter-1"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>“Listen! A sower went out to sow. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Purpose of the Parables</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-28604a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>in order that</span></p><div class="poetry"><p class="line"><span class="text">‘they may indeed look, but not perceive,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks">    </span><span class="text">and may indeed listen, but not understand;</span></span><br /><span class="text">so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”</span></p></div> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>The sower sows the word. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-28610b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote b">b</a>]</span> </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">A Lamp under a Bushel Basket</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>He said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Parable of the Growing Seed</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">26</span>He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">27</span>and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">28</span>The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">29</span>But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Parable of the Mustard Seed</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">30</span>He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">31</span>It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">32</span>yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Use of Parables</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">33</span>With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">34</span>he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Jesus Stills a Storm</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">35</span>On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">36</span>And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">37</span>A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">38</span>But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">39</span>He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">40</span>He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">41</span>And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”</span></p> <A name="fen"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes</h4><ol><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Mark 4:11">Mark 4:11</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Or <i>mystery</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Mark 4:17">Mark 4:17</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Or <i>stumble</i></span></li></ol></div> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. 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