Scriptures

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Mark 4
⁹ And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
¹⁰ As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
¹¹ And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,
¹² so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN."
¹³ And He *said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
¹⁴ The sower sows the word.
¹⁵ These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
¹⁶ In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
¹⁷ and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
¹⁸ And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
¹⁹ but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.