16. “Other people are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching, and they quickly and gladly accept it.
17. But they don’t allow it to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.
18. “Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching,
19. but their lives become full of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not produce a crop in their lives.
20. “And others are like the seed planted on the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce a good crop—sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more.”
21. Then Jesus said to them, “You don’t take a lamp and hide it under a bowl or a bed, do you? Of course not. You put it on a lampstand.
22. Everything that is hidden will be made clear. Every secret thing will be made known.
23. You people who hear me, listen!
24. Think carefully about what you are hearing. God will know how much to give you by how much you understand now. But he will give you more than you deserve.