17. for verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men did desire to see that which ye look on, and they did not see, and to hear that which ye hear, and they did not hear.
18. `Ye, therefore, hear ye the simile of the sower:
19. Every one hearing the word of the reign, and not understanding--the evil one doth come, and doth catch that which hath been sown in his heart; this is that sown by the way.
20. `And that sown on the rocky places, this is he who is hearing the word, and immediately with joy is receiving it,
21. and he hath not root in himself, but is temporary, and persecution or tribulation having happened because of the word, immediately he is stumbled.
22. `And that sown toward the thorns, this is he who is hearing the word, and the anxiety of this age, and the deceitfulness of the riches, do choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
23. `And that sown on the good ground: this is he who is hearing the word, and is understanding, who indeed doth bear fruit, and doth make, some indeed a hundredfold, and some sixty, and some thirty.'
24. Another simile he set before them, saying: `The reign of the heavens was likened to a man sowing good seed in his field,
25. and, while men are sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel in the midst of the wheat, and went away,
26. and when the herb sprang up, and yielded fruit, then appeared also the darnel.
27. `And the servants of the householder, having come near, said to him, Sir, good seed didst thou not sow in thy field? whence then hath it the darnel?
28. And he saith to them, A man, an enemy, did this; and the servants said to him, Wilt thou, then, [that] having gone away we may gather it up?
29. `And he said, No, lest--gathering up the darnel--ye root up with it the wheat,
30. suffer both to grow together till the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the darnel, and bind it in bundles, to burn it, and the wheat gather up into my storehouse.'
31. Another simile he set before them, saying: `The reign of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard, which a man having taken, did sow in his field,
32. which less, indeed, is than all the seeds, but when it may be grown, is greatest of the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven do come and rest in its branches.'
33. Another simile spake he to them: `The reign of the heavens is like to leaven, which a woman having taken, hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.'
34. All these things spake Jesus in similes to the multitudes, and without a simile he was not speaking to them,
35. that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through the prophet, saying, `I will open in similes my mouth, I will utter things having been hidden from the foundation of the world.'
36. Then having let away the multitudes, Jesus came to the house, and his disciples came near to him, saying, `Explain to us the simile of the darnel of the field.'