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The Blue Letter Bible

Mark 4 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed
(Mat 13:1–9; Luk 8:4–8 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:1

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:1 - Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:2

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:2 - He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:3

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:3 - “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:4

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:4 - As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:5

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:5 - Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:6

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:6 - But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:7

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:7 - Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:8

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:8 - Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:9

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:9 - Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
(Mat 13:10–17; Luk 8:9, 10 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:10

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:10 - Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:11

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:11 - He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret[fn] of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:12

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:12 - so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they see what I do,
they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
and be forgiven.’[fn]”
(Mat 13:18–23; Luk 8:11–15 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:13

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:13 - Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:14

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:14 - The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:15

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:15 - The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:16

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:16 - The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:17

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:17 - But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:18

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:18 - The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word,

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:19

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:19 - but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:20

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:20 - And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
Parable of the Lamp
(Luk 8:16–18 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:21

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:21 - Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:22

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:22 - For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:23

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:23 - Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:24

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:24 - Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given[fn]—and you will receive even more.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:25

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:25 - To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
Parable of the Growing Seed

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:26

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:26 - Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:27

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:27 - Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:28

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:28 - The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:29

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:29 - And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”
Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Mat 13:31, 32; Luk 13:18, 19 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:30

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:30 - Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it?

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:31

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:31 - It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds,

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:32

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:32 - but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:33

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:33 - Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:34

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:34 - In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
Jesus Calms the Storm
(Mat 8:23–27; Luk 8:22–25 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:35

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:35 - As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:36

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:36 - So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:37

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:37 - But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:38

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:38 - Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:39

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:39 - When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:40

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:40 - Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

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Unchecked Copy Box Mar 4:41

Unchecked Copy BoxMar 4:41 - The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Greek mystery.
Isa 6:9-10 (Greek version).
Or The measure you give will be the measure you get back.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Mark Chapter 4 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Morphological Greek New Testament Textus Receptus Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras