3. and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who supported Him with their possessions.
4. When a large crowd had gathered together and people were coming to Him from every city, He told this parable:
5. “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.
6. Some fell on a rock. And as soon as it sprang up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
7. Yet some fell among thorns. And the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
8. And other seed fell on good ground and sprang up and yielded a hundred times the amount sown.”When He had said these things, He cried out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9. His disciples asked Him, “What might this parable mean?”
10. He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see,and hearing they may not understand.’
11. “Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God.
12. Those along the path are those who hear. Then comes the devil, who takes away the word from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13. Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root, for they believe for a while, then in the time of temptation fall away.
14. That which fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
15. But the seed on the good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience.
16. “No one, when he lights a candle, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a candlestick, that those who enter may see the light.