10. And his disciples drew near to him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
11. Responding, he said to them: "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but it has not been given to them.
12. For whoever has, it shall be given to him, and he shall have in abundance. But whoever has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
13. For this reason, I speak to them in parables: because seeing, they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14. And so, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, who said, 'Hearing, you shall hear, but not understand; and seeing, you shall see, but not perceive.
15. For the heart of this people has grown fat, and with their ears they hear heavily, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and then I would heal them.'
16. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
17. Amen I say to you, certainly, that many of the prophets and the just desired to see what you see, and yet they did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and yet they did not hear it.
18. Listen, then, to the parable of the sower.
19. With anyone who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, evil comes and carries away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received the seed by the side of the road.
20. Then whoever has received the seed upon a rocky place, this is one who hears the word and promptly accepts it with joy.
21. But he has no root in himself, so it is only for a time; then, when tribulation and persecution occur because of the word, he promptly stumbles.