13 ¹ THAT SAME DAY Jesus went out and sat beside the lake, where so many people gathered round him that he had to get into a boat. 13 ² He sat there, and all the people stood on the shore. 13 ³ He spoke to them in parables, at some length.

He said: 'A sower went out to sow. 13 ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell along the footpath; and the birds came and ate it up. 13 ⁵ Some seed fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil; it sprouted quickly because it had no depth of earth, 13 ⁶ but when the sun rose the young corn was scorched, and as it had no root it withered away. 13 ⁷ Some seed fell among thistles; and the thistles shot up, and choked the corn. 13 ⁸ And some of the seed fell into good soil, where it bore fruit, yielding a hundredfold or, it might be, sixtyfold or thirtyfold. 13 ⁹ If you have ears, then hear.'