17. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.
18. “Therefore listen to the parable of the sower.
19. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one who received seed beside the path.
20. But he who received the seed on rocky ground is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
21. yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, eventually he falls away.
22. He also who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit. Some produce a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”
24. He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
26. But when the shoots had sprung up and produced fruit, the weeds also appeared.
27. “So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28. “He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’“The servants said to him, ‘Will you then have us go and gather them up?’
29. “But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the weeds, you pull up also the wheat with them.
30. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”
31. He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field.