[11] [1154] And while he was saying that, a woman from the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts that nursed [12] thee. [1155] But he said unto her, Blessed is he that heareth the word of God, and keepeth it.
[13] [1156] And while he was speaking unto the multitude, there came unto him his mother [14] and his brethren, and sought to speak with him; [1157] and they were not able, because of [15] the multitude; and they stood without and sent, calling him unto them. [1158] A man said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing without, and seek to [16] speak with thee. [1159] But he answered unto him that spake unto him, Who is my [17] mother? and who are my brethren? [1160] And he beckoned with his hand, stretching it out towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother! and behold, my brethren! [18] [1161] And every man that shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.
[19] [1162] And after that, Jesus was going about in the cities and in the villages, and proclaiming [Arabic, p. 63] and preaching the kingdom of God, and his [1163] twelve with him, [20] [1164] and the women which had been healed of diseases and of evil spirits, Mary [21] that was called Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven devils, [1165] and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who were ministering to them of their substance.
[22] [1166] And after that, Jesus went out of the house, and sat on the sea shore. [1167] And there [23] gathered unto him great multitudes. And when the press of the people was great upon him, he went up and sat in the boat; and all the multitude was standing on the [24] shore of the sea. [1168] And he spake to them much in parables, and said, The sower [25] went forth to sow: and when he sowed, [1169] some fell on the beaten highway; and it was [26] trodden upon, and the birds ate it. [1170] And other fell on the rocks: and some, where there was not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because it had no depth in [27] the earth: [1171] and when the sun rose, it withered; and because it had no root, it dried [28] up. [1172] And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it; [29] and it yielded no fruit. [1173] And other fell into excellent and good [1174] ground; and it came up, and grew, and brought forth fruit, some thirty, and some sixty, and some [30] a hundred. [1175] And when he said that, he cried, He that hath ears that hear, let him [31] hear. [1176] And when they were alone, his disciples came, and asked him, and said unto [32] him, What is this parable? and why spakest thou unto them in parables? [1177] He [Arabic, p. 64] answered and said unto them, Unto you is given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God; but it is not given unto them that are [33] without. [1178] He that hath shall be given unto, and there shall be added; and he that [34] hath not, that which he hath shall be taken from him also. [1179] For this cause therefore I speak unto them in parables; because they see, and see not; and hear, and hear [35] not, nor understand. [1180] And in them is being fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, who said,
Hearing they shall hear, and shall not understand;
And seeing they shall see, and shall not perceive:
[36] [1181] The heart of this people is waxed gross,
And their hearing with their ears is become heavy,
And they have closed their eyes;
Lest they should see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their hearts,
And should return,
And I should heal them.
[37, 38] [1182] But ye, blessed are your eyes, which see; and your ears, which hear. [1183] Blessed [39] are the eyes which see what ye see. [1184] Verily I say unto you, Many of the prophets and the righteous longed to see what ye see, and saw not; and to hear what ye [40] hear, and heard not. [1185] When ye know not this parable, how shall ye know all parables? [41, 42] [1186] Hear ye the parable of the sower. [1187] The sower which sowed, sowed the word [43] of God. [1188] Every one who heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, the evil one cometh and snatcheth away the word that hath been sown in his [44] heart: and this is that which was sown on the middle of the highway. [1189] But that which was sown on the rocks is he that heareth the word, and straightway receiveth [45, 46] [Arabic, p. 65] it with joy; [1190] only, it hath no root in his soul, but his belief in it is for a time; [1191] and whenever there is distress or persecution because of a [1192] word, he [47] stumbleth [1193] quickly. [1194] And that which was sown among the thorns is he that heareth the word; [1195] and the care of this world, and the error of riches, and the rest of the [48] other lusts enter, and choke the word, and it becometh without fruit. [1196] And that which was sown in good ground is he that heareth my word in a pure and good heart, and understandeth it, and holdeth to it, and bringeth forth fruit with patience, [1197] and produceth either a hundredfold or sixtyfold or thirty.
[49] [1198] And he said, So is the kingdom of God, like a man who casteth seed into the [50] earth, and sleepeth and riseth by night and day, [1199] and the seed groweth and cometh [51] up, whence [1200] he knoweth not. [1201] And the earth bringeth it to the fruit; and first it [52] will be blade, and after it ear, and at last perfect wheat in the ear: [1202] and whenever the fruit ripeneth, [1203] he bringeth immediately the sickle, for the harvest hath come.
[1142] Matt. xii. 38.
[1143] Matt. xii. 39.
[1144] See § 1, 49, note.
[1145] Luke xi. 30.
[1146] Matt. xii. 40.
[1147] Luke xi. 31.
[1148] See note to § 10, 13.
[1149] Matt. xii. 41.
[1150] Luke xi. 24.
[1151] Luke xi. 25.
[1152] Luke xi. 26.
[1153] Matt. xii. 45b.
[1154] Luke xi. 27.
[1155] Luke xi. 28.
[1156] Matt. xii. 46a; Luke viii. 19a.
[1157] Matt. xii. 46c; Luke viii. 19b.
[1158] Mark iii. 31; Matt. xii. 47.
[1159] Matt. xii. 48.
[1160] Matt. xxii. 49.
[1161] Matt. xii. 50.
[1162] Luke viii. 1.
[1163] The Arabic printed text gives no sense. A simple change in the diacritical points of one letter gives the reading of the Syriac versions, which is adopted here.
[1164] Luke viii. 2.
[1165] Luke viii. 3.
[1166] Matt. xiii. 1.
[1167] Matt. xiii. 2.
[1168] Matt. xiii. 3.
[1169] Matt. xiii. 4a; Luke viii. 5b.
[1170] Matt. xiii. 5.
[1171] Matt. xiii. 6.
[1172] Luke viii. 7; Mark iv. 7b.
[1173] Luke viii. 8a; Mark iv. 8b.
[1174] cf. Peshitta (against Cur. and Sin.).
[1175] Luke viii. 8c.
[1176] Mark iv. 10; with additions from Matt. xiii. 10, and Luke viii. 9.
[1177] Mark iv. 11; Matt. xiii. 11.
[1178] Matt. xiii. 12.
[1179] Matt. xiii. 13.
[1180] Matt. xiii. 14.
[1181] Matt. xiii. 15.
[1182] Matt. xiii. 16.
[1183] Luke x. 23b.
[1184] Matt. xiii. 17.
[1185] Mark iv. 13b.
[1186] Matt. xiii. 18.
[1187] Mark iv. 14.
[1188] Matt. xiii. 19.
[1189] Matt. xiii. 20.
[1190] Matt. xiii. 21a.
[1191] Luke viii. 13b; Matt. xiii. 21c.
[1192] See above, § 1, 40, note 2.
[1193] Or, is seduced (cf. § 25, 17, note).
[1194] Matt. xiii. 22a.
[1195] Mark iv. 19b.
[1196] Luke viii. 15.
[1197] Matt. xiii. 23b.
[1198] Mark iv. 26.
[1199] Mark iv. 27.
[1200] Or, while.
[1201] Mark iv. 28.
[1202] Mark iv. 29.
[1203] Lit. fatteneth, as in Peshitta.
Section XVII.
[1] [1204] And he set forth to them another parable, and said, The kingdom of heaven is [2] like a man who sowed good seed in his field; [1205] but when men slept, his enemy came [3] and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. [1206] And when the blade sprang up [4] and brought forth fruit, there were noticed the tares also. [1207] And the servants of the master of the house came, and said unto him, Our lord, didst thou not sow good [5] [Arabic, p. 66] seed in thy field? whence are there tares in it? [1208] He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. His servants said unto him, Wilt thou that we go [6] and separate it? [1209] He said unto them, Perhaps, [1210] when ye separate the tares, ye would [7] root up with them wheat also. [1211] Leave them to grow both together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say unto the reapers, Separate the tares first, and bind them in bundles to be burned with fire; and gather the wheat into my barns.
[8, 9] [1212] And he set forth to them another parable, and said, [1213] To what is the kingdom of [10] God like? and to what shall I liken it? and in what parable shall I set it forth? [1214] It [11] is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and planted in his field: [1215] and of the number of the things that are sown in the earth it is smaller than all of the things [12] which are sown, which are upon the earth; [1216] but when it is grown, it is greater than all the herbs, and produceth large branches, so that the birds of heaven make their nests in its branches.
[13, 14] [1217] And he set forth to them another parable: [1218] To what shall I liken the kingdom of [15] God? [1219] It is like the leaven which a woman took, and kneaded into three measures of flour, until the whole of it was leavened.
[16] [1220] And Jesus spake all that to the multitudes by way of parables, according as they [17] were able to hear. [1221] And without parables spake he not unto them; that the saying of the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled:
I will open my mouth in parables;
And I will utter secrets which were before the foundations [1222] of the world.
[18] [1223] But he explained to his disciples privately everything.
[19] [1224] Then Jesus left [1225] the multitudes, and came to the house. And his disciples came unto him, and said unto him, Explain unto us that parable about the tares [20] [Arabic, p. 67] and the field. [1226] He answered and said unto them, He that sowed good seed is [21] the Son of man; [1227] and the field is the world; and the good seed are the children of the [22] kingdom; [1228] and the tares are the children of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed them [1229] is Satan; and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. [23] [1230] And as the tares are separated and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of [24] this world. [1231] The Son of man shall send his angels, and separate from his kingdom [25] all things that injure, [1232] and all the doers of iniquity, and they shall cast them into the [26] furnace of fire: and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [1233] Then the righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whosoever hath ears that hear, let him hear.
[27] [1234] And again the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hid in a field: that which a man found and hid; and, for his pleasure in it, went and sold all that he had, and bought that field.
[28] [1235] And again the kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a merchant seeking excellent [29] pearls; [1236] and when he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold everything that he had, and bought it.
[30] [1237] And again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast [1238] into the sea, and [31] gathered of every kind: [1239] and when it was filled, they drew it up on to the shore of the sea, and sat down to select; and the good of them they threw into the vessels, [32] and the bad they threw outside. [1240] Thus shall it be in the end of the world: the angels [33] shall go forth, [1241] and separate the wicked from among the good, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.