Then he told them many things in parables, saying,“ Consider the sower who went out to sow.

他用比喻对他们讲许多道理，说：“有一个撒种的出去撒种；

他用比喻对他们讲了许多话。他说：“有一个撒种的出去撒种。

他用比喻对他们讲了许多话。他说：“有一个撒种的出去撒种。

祂用比喻给他们讲许多道理，说：“有一个农夫出去撒种。

他用比喻对众人讲了许多事，说：“有一个撒种的出去撒种。

耶稣用比喻对他们讲了很多事。他说：“看哪，有一个撒种的出去撒种。

他用比喻對他們講許多道理，說：「有一個撒種的出去撒種；

他用比喻對他們講了許多話。他說：「有一個撒種的出去撒種。

他用比喻對他們講了許多話。他說：「有一個撒種的出去撒種。

祂用比喻向他們講許多道理，說：「有一個農夫出去撒種。

他用比喻對眾人講了許多事，說：“有一個撒種的出去撒種。

他就用比喻對他們講許多道理，說：『看哪，有一個撒種的出去撒種。

耶穌用比喻對他們講了很多事。他說：「看哪，有一個撒種的出去撒種。

乃多端設喻語之、曰、有播種者、出而播種、

乃多端設譬曰、有播種者出而播種、

耶穌多端設喻語之曰、有播種者出而播種、

乃多方設喻而訓之曰：『有農人出而播種、

Then he told them many things in parables, saying:“ A farmer went out to sow his seed.

Then he told them many things using stories. He said,“ A farmer went out to plant his seed.

And he told them many things in parables, saying:“ A sower went out to sow.

He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:“ Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds.

And He told them many things in parables, saying,“ Behold, the sower went out to sow;

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:“ Behold, a sower went out to sow.

And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow;

Then He told them many things in parables, saying:“ Consider the sower who went out to sow.

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

He told them many things in parables, saying:“ Listen! A sower went out to sow.

He spoke to them many things in parables, saying,“ Behold, a farmer went out to sow.

He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them,“ Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep.When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit.Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.”Then he said,“ Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

When Jesus had finished these parables, he left there.

They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.

He was speaking the word to them with many parables like these, as they were able to understand.

Then he said to them,“ Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables?

So the LORD sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.The rich man had very large flocks and herds,but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him.Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan,“ As the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.”Nathan replied to David,“ You are the man! This is what the LORD God of Israel says:‘ I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from Saul.

Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable,so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open my mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.

“ A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.” As he said this, he called out,“ Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Then the disciples came up and asked him,“ Why are you speaking to them in parables?”He answered,“ Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.

Then I said,“ Oh, Lord GOD, they are saying of me,‘ Isn’t he just composing parables?’”

“ Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.

In that day one will take up a taunt against you and lament mournfully, saying,“ We are totally ruined! He measures out the allotted land of my people. How he removes it from me! He allots our fields to traitors.”

“ Lord,” Peter asked,“ are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?”

The trees decided to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree,“ Reign over us.”But the olive tree said to them,“ Should I stop giving my oil that people use to honor both God and men, and rule over the trees?”Then the trees said to the fig tree,“ Come and reign over us.”But the fig tree said to them,“ Should I stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, and rule over trees?”Later, the trees said to the grapevine,“ Come and reign over us.”But the grapevine said to them,“ Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, and rule over trees?”Finally, all the trees said to the bramble,“ Come and reign over us.”The bramble said to the trees,“ If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.”“ Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have rewarded him appropriately for what he did—for my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you from Midian,and now you have attacked my father’s family today, killed his seventy sons on top of a large stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the citizens of Shechem‘ because he is your brother’—so if you have acted faithfully and honestly with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he also rejoice in you.But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”

I will sing about the one I love, a song about my loved one’s vineyard: The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes?Now I will tell you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.I will make it a wasteland. It will not be pruned or weeded; thorns and briers will grow up. I will also give orders to the clouds that rain should not fall on it.For the vineyard of the LORD of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant he delighted in. He expected justice but saw injustice; he expected righteousness but heard cries of despair.

“ I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.

So he told them this parable:“ What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it?When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders,and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them,‘ Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.

So he summoned them and spoke to them in parables:“ How can Satan drive out Satan?

He began to speak to them in parables:“ A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away.

Now speak a parable to the rebellious house. Tell them,‘ This is what the Lord GOD says: Put the pot on the fire— put it on, and then pour water into it!Place the pieces of meat in it, every good piece— thigh and shoulder. Fill it with choice bones.Take the choicest of the flock and also pile up the fuel under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.“‘ Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, the pot that has corrosion inside it, and its corrosion has not come out of it! Empty it piece by piece; lots should not be cast for its contents.For the blood she shed is still within her. She put it out on the bare rock; she didn’t pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.“‘ Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I myself will make the pile of kindling large.Pile on the logs and kindle the fire! Cook the meat well and mix in the spices! Let the bones be burned!Set the empty pot on its coals so that it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt inside it; its corrosion will be consumed.It has frustrated every effort; its thick corrosion will not come off. Into the fire with its corrosion!Because of the depravity of your uncleanness— since I tried to purify you, but you would not be purified from your uncleanness— you will not be pure again until I have satisfied my wrath on you.I, the LORD, have spoken. It is coming, and I will do it! I will not refrain, I will not show pity, and I will not relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.’”

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables:

So he said,“ The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that Looking they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past—

I turn my ear to a proverb; I explain my riddle with a lyre.

“ Son of man, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.

Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him, with mockery and riddles about him? They will say,“ Woe to him who amasses what is not his— how much longer?— and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.”