Mark 4 1 And he began again to teach by the sea-side; and there was gathered unto him a great multitude; so that he entered into a ship and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
2 And he taught them many things by parables.
3 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow;
4 And it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
6 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it; and it yielded no fruit.
7 And other seed fell on good ground, and did yield fruit, that sprang up and increased, and brought forth, some thirty-fold, and some sixty and some an hundred.
8 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And when he was alone with the twelve, and they that believed in him, they that were about him with the twelve, asked of him the parable.
10 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables;
11 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.