Mark 4:10-20
10 As soon as He was alone, (a)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 (A)those who are outside get everything (B)in parables,
12 so that (C)while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”
Explanation
13 (D)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 (E)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 (b)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 (F)the (c)world, and the (G)deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and (H)bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
Footnotes:
a.
Mark 4:10: ['Lit ', those about Him]
b.
Mark 4:17: ['Lit ', are caused to stumble]
c.
Mark 4:19: ['Or ', age]
Cross references:
H.
Mark 4:20:
Romans 7:4