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HE same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the seaside. And he began again to teach by the seaside: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, " Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: and it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: but when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred."

And when he had said these things, He cried, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable, saying, " What might this parable be? and why speakest thou unto them in parables?"

And he said unto them, "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables, that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted. and their sins should be forgiven them. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this