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.
22. And whoever has received the seed among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the falseness of riches suffocate the word, and he is effectively without fruit.
23. Yet truly, whoever has received the seed into good soil, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, and so he bears fruit, and he produces: some a hundred fold, and another sixty fold, and another thirty fold."
24. He proposed another parable to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25. But while the men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds amid the wheat, and then went away.
26. And when the plants had grown, and had produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared.
27. So the servants of the Father of the family, approaching, said to him: 'Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how is it that it has weeds?'
28. And he said to them, 'A man who is an enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Is it your will that we should go and gather them up?'
29. And he said: 'No, lest perhaps in gathering the weeds, you might also root out the wheat together with it.
30. Permit both to grow until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers: Gather first the weeds, and bind them into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather into my storehouse.' "