17. For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.
18. “You, then, listen to the parable of the sower:
19. When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.
20. And the one sown on rocky ground — this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.
21. Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
22. Now the one sown among the thorns — this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23. But the one sown on the good ground — this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown.”
24. He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25. But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.
26. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27. The landowner’s slaves came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from? ’
28. “ ‘An enemy did this! ’ he told them.“ ‘So, do you want us to go and gather them up? ’ the slaves asked him.
29. “ ‘No,’ he said. ‘When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them.