Mark 4

1 Once again [from the beginning, anew] Jesus began [commenced, started] to teach [instruct, guide] beside [near, by] the sea [large body of water, Mediterranean], and such a large [great, multitude] crowd [gathering, assembly] gathered [assembled, came together] around Him that He got into a boat [ship, vessel] and sat [took His seat, was seated] in it, while all [every, the whole] the people [multitude, crowd] crowded [pressed, gathered] along the shore [by the sea, on the land]. word study 2 And He taught [instructed, guided] them many things [a large number of truths] in parables [stories that convey spiritual truths, comparisons], and in His teaching [doctrine, instruction] He said [spoke, declared], word study 3 “Listen [Hearken, pay attention]! A farmer [a sower, a planter] went out [to go forth, to come out] to sow [to scatter seed, to plant] his seed [the word of God, spiritual truth]. word study 4 And as he was sowing [scattering seeds, planting], some seed [the message of God’s kingdom] fell along the path [by the wayside, on the road], and the birds [fowls of the air, unclean spirits] came and devoured [ate up, consumed completely] it. word study 5 Some fell on [stony, rocky] rocky ground, where it did not have much [a large amount of] soil [earth, land]. It sprang up [immediately, quickly] quickly because the soil [ground, earth] was shallow [lacking depth]. word study 6 But when the sun [the celestial body] rose, the seedlings [young plants] were scorched [burned, seared], and they withered [dried up, became barren] because they had no [lacking, without] root [foundation, source of life]. word study 7 Other seed [some seeds, different ones] fell among thorns [prickly plants, weeds], which grew up [ascended, came up] and choked [crowded out, blocked] the seedlings [young plants, sprouts], and they yielded [produced, gave] no [none, not any] crop [fruit, harvest]. word study 8 Still other seed fell on good [fertile] soil, where it sprouted [came up, grew], grew up [developed, matured], and produced a crop [yielded fruit, gave increase]—one bearing [producing] thirtyfold [thirty times as much], another sixtyfold [sixty times as much], and another a hundredfold [a hundred times as much].” word study 9 Then Jesus said, “He who [has the ability to understand] has ears [to hear and comprehend] to hear [and obey], let him [who is willing to listen] hear [and receive the message].” word study 10 As soon as Jesus was alone [by himself, solitary] with the Twelve [his twelve apostles, disciples] and those around [about, surrounding] Him, they asked [inquired, requested] Him about the parable [a story that teaches a moral lesson, a comparison]. word study 11 He replied, “The [hidden truth, secret] mystery of the [divine rule, kingdom of heaven] kingdom of God [the supreme deity, Creator] has been given [granted, bestowed] to you, but to those [outside, unbelievers] on the outside [in spiritual darkness] everything is expressed [conveyed, taught] in [symbolic stories, figurative language] parables, word study 12 so that, ‘they may be ever [continually, always] seeing [perceiving with their eyes, yet not understanding] but never [at no time] perceiving [grasping the truth, discerning], and ever [always, continually] hearing [listening with their ears, yet not obeying] but never [at no time] understanding [comprehending, having insight]; otherwise [lest, if not] they might turn [repent, change their direction] and be forgiven [have their sins released, pardoned].’ ” word study 13 Then Jesus said to them, “Do you [not at all, completely] not understand [perceive, see, know] this parable [a story that teaches a moral lesson, an illustration]? Then how [in what way, by what means] will you understand [know, recognize, perceive] any [all, every] of the parables [stories that teach moral lessons, comparisons]? word study 14 The farmer [sower, the one scattering seed] sows [scatters, spreads abroad] the word [Logos, divine message, declaration of God’s truth]. word study 15 Some are like the seeds [sown by the wayside] along the path, where the word [Logos, divine message] is sown. As soon as they hear [listen and understand] it, Satan [the adversary, accuser] comes [immediately, without delay] and takes away [lifts up, removes] the word that was sown [planted, scattered] in them [their hearts, minds]. word study 16 Some are like the seeds [sown upon rocky places] sown on rocky [stony, shallow] ground. They hear the word [the message, logos] and at once [immediately, straight away] receive it with joy [gladness, deep happiness]. word study 17 But they themselves [have no deep roots, are unstable] have no root [in themselves, internally], and they remain [only for a season, temporarily] for only a season [a short time, a brief period]. When trouble [affliction, pressure] or persecution [suffering, harassment] comes because of the word [the message, the gospel], they quickly [immediately, without hesitation] fall away [stumble, become offended]. word study 18 Others [such as these, like them] are like the seeds [sown among thorns, planted in difficult soil] sown among the thorns [prickly plants, briers]. They hear [listen to, understand, and obey] the word [Logos, divine message, expression of God’s will], word study 19 but the worries [concerns, anxieties] of this life [age, world], the deceitfulness [falsehood, delusion] of wealth [riches, material possessions], and the desire [lust, longing] for other things [temporal pursuits, earthly interests] come in and choke [crowd out, suffocate] the word [message, truth], and it becomes unfruitful [barren, without spiritual productivity]. word study 20 Still others are like the seeds [sown upon good ground, planted in a fertile soil] sown on good soil [the earth, ground that is receptive]. They hear [listen to and understand, give ear to] the word [Logos, the divine message], receive [welcome, accept with delight] it, and produce [bear, yield] a crop [fruit, a harvest]—thirtyfold [thirty times, a thirty-fold increase], sixtyfold [sixty times, a sixty-fold increase], or a hundredfold [a hundred times, a hundred-fold increase].” word study 21 Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp [a portable light source, symbolizing spiritual guidance] to put it under a basket [in a hidden place] or under a bed [a place of rest, but also of darkness]? Doesn’t he set it on a stand [a lampstand, a holder for the lamp, elevating it for all to see]? word study 22 For there is nothing [absolutely no thing, completely hidden] hidden [concealed, secret] that will not be disclosed [revealed, made known], and nothing [not a single thing] concealed [kept secret, hidden away] that will not be brought [come, made visible] to light [clear, visible, understandable]. word study 23 If [a person] anyone has [physical and spiritual] ears to hear [listen and understand], let him [carefully, with attention] hear [listen and obey].” word study 24 He went on to say, “Pay attention [take heed, be careful] to what you hear [listen, understand, and obey]. With the measure [standard, limit] you use [apply, mete out], it will be measured [evaluated, judged] to you, and even more [additionally, abundantly] will be added [given, bestowed] to you [who are receptive, obedient]. word study 25 For whoever [has spiritual understanding, possesses] has will be given [granted, bestowed upon] more [abundantly, richly]. But whoever [lacks, is without] does not have [possess, hold], even [including, also] what he has [possesses, holds] will be taken away [removed, withdrawn] from him [away from his grasp, out of his possession].” word study 26 Jesus also said, “The [divine royal power and dominion] kingdom of God [the one true deity] is like a man [a human being] who scatters [throws with force] seed [the act of scattering or sowing] on the [soil] ground [the earth, a region]. word study 27 Night [the time of darkness] and day [a 24-hour period] he sleeps [falls asleep, rests] and wakes [arises, stands up], and the seed [the act of scattering or sowing] sprouts [germinates, grows] and grows [enlarges, increases], though he knows [perceives, understands] not [completely, utterly] how [in what way, by what means]. word study 28 All by itself [automatically, without human effort] the earth [soil, ground, or the physical world] produces [brings forth, bears fruit] a crop [harvest, fruit of the earth]—first [initially, at the beginning] the stalk [blade, grass, or herbage], then [after that, next] the head [of grain, ear of corn], then [finally, afterwards] grain [full grain, full corn] that ripens [is full, complete] within [in, on, or among the head of grain]. word study 29 And as soon as [when the time is ripe] the grain [fruit, crop] is ripe [mature, fully grown], he swings [puts forth, sends] the sickle [harvesting tool], because [since, for the reason that] the harvest [time of reaping] has come [arrived, is present]. ” word study 30 Then He asked, “To what [in what way, by what means] can we compare [to liken, to make similar] the kingdom [God’s royal power, dominion] of God [the one true deity, Creator]? With what parable [story, illustration] shall we present [set forth, illustrate] it [the kingdom, God’s reign]? word study 31 It is like a [grain of] mustard seed [a seed or kernel], which is the smallest [less than all the seeds] of all seeds sown [when it is sown] upon [in] the earth [the soil or ground]. word study 32 But after it is planted [sown, scattered as seed], it grows to be the largest [greater than all, surpassing] of all garden plants [herbs, vegetables] and puts forth [produces, brings out] great [large, intense] branches [limbs, shoots], so that the birds [fowls, winged creatures] of the air [heaven, the sky] nest [lodge, dwell] in its shade [shadow, protection].” word study 33 With many [numerous, a large number of] such [like these, of this kind] parables [illustrated stories, comparisons] Jesus spoke [uttered, proclaimed] the word [Logos, the divine message] to them, to the extent [as, just as] that they could [were able, had the power] understand [hear and comprehend, grasp the meaning]. word study 34 He did not tell them anything [without using a story or illustration] without using a parable [a story that teaches a moral lesson]. But privately [when they were alone, apart from the crowd] He explained [to make clear, to interpret] everything to His own [personal, private] disciples [learners, followers]. word study 35 When that [same day, later] evening [at sunset, nightfall] came, He said to His disciples, “Let us [go over, pass through] cross to the [opposite, farther] other side [across the lake, to the other shore].” word study 36 After they had dismissed [sent away, released] the crowd [multitude, large group of people], they took Jesus [as he was, in his current state] with them, since He was already in the boat [ship, vessel]. And there were other [additional, different] boats [small boats, little ships] with Him [accompanying, following]. word study 37 Soon a violent [terrible, great] windstorm [of wind] came up, and the waves [powerful waves] were breaking [beating, dashed] over the boat [ship], so that it was being [now, already] swamped [filled]. word study 38 But Jesus [the Messiah, the Christ] was in the stern [the back part of the ship], sleeping [resting, reposing] on the cushion [a pillow, a headrest]. So they woke Him [aroused, stirred Him] and said, “Teacher [Master, Instructor], don’t You care [are You not concerned, is it nothing to You] that we are perishing [dying, being destroyed, in danger of destruction]?” word study 39 Then Jesus got up [arose, woke from sleep] and rebuked [strongly warned, commanded silence] the wind [air in motion, a gentle breeze or a fierce storm] and the sea [a large body of water]. “Silence [be quiet, still]!” He commanded [spoke with authority]. “Be still [peaceful, calm, without disturbance]!” And the wind [air in motion] died down [abated, ceased], and it was perfectly [completely, utterly] calm [peaceful, serene, without turmoil]. word study 40 “Why are you so [exceedingly, terribly] afraid [fearful, timid]?” He asked [said unto them]. “Do you still have [yet, after all this time] no [none] faith [trust, confidence, having confidence in God]?” word study 41 Overwhelmed with [great, exceeding] fear [awe, reverence], they asked one another, “Who [what manner of man] is this [He, the Master], that even the [natural] wind [air, breath] and the [vast, turbulent] sea [ocean, deep] obey [listen, submit] Him [as Lord, with reverence]?” word study