Totally Free Bible Version

Mark 4

¹Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a substantial crowd gathered around him, so that he got into a boat that was in the sea, and all the people were on the land by the sea. ²And he taught them in many parables, and here's what he said as he taught them:

³Listen! A farmer went out to plant seeds. ⁴And as he was spreading the seed, some fell beside the path, and the birds came and ate it. ⁵Other seed fell in rocky ground, where it didn't have much dirt, and it sprouted leaves quickly, because the dirt wasn't deep. ⁶But when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it didn't have good enough roots, it was scorched. ⁷Other seed fell amongst the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked it, and it didn't bear any fruit. ⁸And other seed fell in good ground, and it bore fruit, growing up and increasing, and it bore some 30 fold, some 60 fold and some 100 fold. ⁹And he said, let anyone who has ears hear!

¹⁰When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve began to ask him about the parables. ¹¹And he told them, "The mystery of the kingdom of heaven is given to you, but to those on the outside everything comes in parables, ¹²so that

They might look, but they won't see,
They might try to hear, but they won't comprehend,
Lest they should turn back to God, and he would forgive them.

¹³Then he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How can you understand all the parables? ¹⁴The one who went out to plant is planting the word. ¹⁵But there are those who hear the word, but it's like the seed that fell by the path. Satan comes immediately and carries away the word that has been planted in them. ¹⁶Now other are like the seed that fell in rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they receive it immediately and joyfully, ¹⁷but they don't have root in themselves, but they are temporary {have short attention spans!}. If trials or persecution come up because of the word, they get tripped up right away. ¹⁸Others are loke the seed that fell among the thorns. They are the ones who hear the word ¹⁹and the worries of this life and the deception of riches, and the desire for other stuff comes in and chokes the word and it becomes fruitless. ²⁰But the last group are like the seed that fell into good ground. They hear the word, and they welcome it, and it bears fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold.

²¹Then he said, "Is a light ever brought in so that it can be put under a basket or under a bed? No! It's brought in to give light! ²²For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered, that's not going to come out in the open. ²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him here!

²⁴He continued, "Watch what you hear! In the same way in which you measure things out to others, they will be measured out to you and more will be added. ²⁵For more will be added to anyone who already has, and the one who does not have will have even that little bit taken away from him."

²⁶Then he said, "God's kingdom is just like when a person throws seed on the ground. ²⁷He sleeps and gets up night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows and he doesn't know how it happens. ²⁸The ground brings forth fruit on its own, first the leaf, then the ear, then the fully formed wheat in the ear. ²⁹But whenever it bears fruit, then the sickle is sent out, because the harvest has come.

³⁰And he said, "What can I say God's kingdom is like? What parable can I use to present it? ³¹It's like a mustard seed, which when it's planted is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth, ³²but when it is planted, and grows and becomes larger than all the plants, and produceslarge branches, so that birds of heaven can nest in the shadow of its branches.

³³He told them all these things in parables as they were able to understand the word. ³⁴But he didn't speak to them without a parable, but when he was alone with his disciples he explained everything to them.

³⁵As evening was approaching that day, he said, "Let's go to the other side." ³⁶So he left the crowd, and they joined Jesus in the boat where he was already sitting. There were other boats with him. ³⁷And there was a violent wind storm and the waves were coming over the side of the boat, so that it was already filling with water. ³⁸And he was in the prow sleeping on a pillow. So they roused him and said to him, "Teacher! Doesn't it matter to you that we're dying here? ³⁹So he rose up, rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Be calm! Shut up!" And the wind stopped and there was perfect calm. ⁴⁰Then he said to them, "Why were you afraid? Don't you have faith yet?" ⁴¹Then they were very afriad, and the said to one another, "What kind of person is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Average revision: 3 (Draft # 1 by individual translator)

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