11 He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop-some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown." 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 14 The farmer sows the word. 13 Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 12 so that, " 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'" 1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.s The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 9 Then Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times." 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 3 "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 2 He taught them many things by parables,t and in his teaching said: