brother, and sister, and mother." 4 1 Again he began to teach by the sea. and a very large crowd gathered around him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 Then he taught them many things by parables, and said to them in his teaching: 3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun came up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 But other seed fell on good soil and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced thirtyfold, sixty, and a hundred." 9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those outside everything is in parables; 12 so that 'seeing they may see but not perceive, and hearing may hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.'" 13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 And these likewise are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no root in themselves, but endure for only a time. Then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good soil, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit thirtyfold, sixty, and a hundred." 21 And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden, except to be revealed; nor is anything secret, but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 24 Then he said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you; and more will be given you. 25 For whoever has, to him will more be given; and whoever does not have, from him even what he has will be taken away." 26 And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28