₁That same day Jesus left the house and went to the lakeside, where he sat down to teach. ₂The crowd that gathered round him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it, while the crowd stood on the shore. ₃He used parables to tell them many things.

“Once there was a man who went out to sow corn. ₄As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ₅Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep. ₆But when the sun came up, it burnt the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. ₇Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants. ₈But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants produced corn; some produced 100 grains, others sixty, and others thirty.”

₉And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!”

₁₈“Listen, then, and learn what the parable of the sower means. ₁₉Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in them. ₂₀The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who receive the message gladly as soon as they hear it. ₂₁But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once. ₂₂The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear the message; but the worries about this life and the love for riches choke the message, and they don't bear fruit. ₂₃And the seeds sown in the good soil stand for those who hear the message and understand it: they bear fruit, some as much as 100, others sixty, and others thirty.”