Mark 4

Learning to read Greek? Start with the alphabet.

The Parable of the Sower

1Καὶ πάλιν ἤρξατο διδάσκειν παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ συνάγεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλος πλεῖστος ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἦσαν

1Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

2Καὶ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς ἐν παραβολαῖς πολλά καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ

2And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said,

3Ἀκούετε ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων σπεῖραι

3“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.

4καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ σπείρειν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν καὶ ἦλθεν τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτό

4And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

5Καὶ ἄλλο ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ πετρῶδες ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν καὶ εὐθὺς ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς

5Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.

6καὶ ὅτε ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη

6But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

7Καὶ ἄλλο ἔπεσεν εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ συνέπνιξαν αὐτό καὶ καρπὸν οὐκ ἔδωκεν

7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.

8Καὶ ἄλλα ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν καλήν καὶ ἐδίδου καρπὸν ἀναβαίνοντα καὶ αὐξανόμενα καὶ ἔφερεν ἓν τριάκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑκατόν

8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”

9Καὶ ἔλεγεν Ὃς ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω

9Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables

10Καὶ ὅτε ἐγένετο κατὰ μόνας ἠρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν σὺν τοῖς δώδεκα τὰς παραβολάς

10As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.

11Καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Ὑμῖν τὸ μυστήριον δέδοται τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκείνοις δὲ τοῖς ἔξω ἐν παραβολαῖς τὰ πάντα γίνεται

11He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,

12ἵνα Βλέποντες βλέπωσιν καὶ μὴ ἴδωσιν Καὶ ἀκούοντες ἀκούωσιν καὶ μὴ συνιῶσιν Μή‿ ποτε ἐπιστρέψωσιν Καὶ ἀφεθῇ αὐτοῖς

12so that,

‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

and ever hearing but never understanding;

otherwise they might turn

and be forgiven.’”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

13Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Οὐκ οἴδατε τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην καὶ πῶς πάσας τὰς παραβολὰς γνώσεσθε

13Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?

14Ὁ σπείρων τὸν λόγον σπείρει

14The farmer sows the word.

15οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ὅπου σπείρεται ὁ λόγος καὶ ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν εὐθὺς ἔρχεται ὁ Σατανᾶς καὶ αἴρει τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐσπαρμένον εἰς αὐτούς

15Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

16Καὶ οὗτοί εἰσιν ὁμοίως οἱ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπειρόμενοι οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνουσιν αὐτόν

16Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.

17καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιροί εἰσιν εἶτα γενομένης θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζονται

17But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

18Καὶ ἄλλοι εἰσὶν οἱ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπειρόμενοι οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ τὸν λόγον ἀκούσαντες

18Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word,

19καὶ αἱ μέριμναι τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου καὶ αἱ περὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐπιθυμίαι εἰσπορευόμεναι συμπνίγουσιν τὸν λόγον καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται

19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20Καὶ ἐκεῖνοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν σπαρέντες οἵτινες ἀκούουσιν τὸν λόγον καὶ παραδέχονται καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἓν τριάκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑκατόν

20Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”

The Lesson of the Lamp

21Καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι Μήτι ἔρχεται ὁ λύχνος ἵνα ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον τεθῇ ἢ ὑπὸ τὴν κλίνην οὐχ ἵνα ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν τεθῇ

21Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand?

22οὐ γάρ ἐστιν τι κρυπτὸν ἐὰν μὴ ἵνα φανερωθῇ οὐδὲ ἐγένετο ἀπόκρυφον ἀλλ’ ἵνα ἔλθῃ εἰς φανερόν

22For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

23Εἴ τις ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω

23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24Καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Βλέπετε τί ἀκούετε ἐν ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε μετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν καὶ προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν

24He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.

25ὃς γὰρ ἔχει δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἔχει καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ

25For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Seed Growing Secretly

26Καὶ ἔλεγεν Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

26Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.

27καὶ καθεύδῃ καὶ ἐγείρηται νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν καὶ ὁ σπόρος βλαστᾷ καὶ μηκύνηται ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτός

27Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.

28αὐτομάτη ἡ γῆ καρποφορεῖ πρῶτον χόρτον εἶτα στάχυν εἶτα πλήρης σῖτον ἐν τῷ στάχυϊ

28All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within.

29ὅταν δὲ παραδοῖ ὁ καρπός εὐθὺς ἀποστέλλει τὸ δρέπανον ὅτι παρέστηκεν ὁ θερισμός

29And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30Καὶ ἔλεγεν Πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἢ ἐν τίνι αὐτὴν παραβολῇ θῶμεν

30Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?

31ὡς κόκκῳ σινάπεως ὃς ὅταν σπαρῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς μικρότερον ὂν πάντων τῶν σπερμάτων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.

32καὶ ὅταν σπαρῇ ἀναβαίνει καὶ γίνεται μεῖζον πάντων τῶν λαχάνων καὶ ποιεῖ κλάδους μεγάλους ὥστε δύνασθαι ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνοῦν

32But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”

33Καὶ τοιαύταις παραβολαῖς πολλαῖς ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον καθὼς ἠδύναντο ἀκούειν

33With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand.

34χωρὶς δὲ παραβολῆς οὐκ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς κατ’ ἰδίαν δὲ τοῖς ἰδίοις μαθηταῖς ἐπέλυεν πάντα

34He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.

Jesus Calms the Storm

35Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὀψίας γενομένης Διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν

35When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.”

36καὶ ἀφέντες τὸν ὄχλον παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν ὡς ἦν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ καὶ ἄλλα πλοῖα ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ

36After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him.

37Καὶ γίνεται λαῖλαψ μεγάλη ἀνέμου καὶ τὰ κύματα ἐπέβαλλεν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ὥστε ἤδη γεμίζεσθαι τὸ πλοῖον

37Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.

38καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον καθεύδων καὶ ἐγείρουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ Διδάσκαλε οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα

38But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”

39Καὶ διεγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ εἶπεν τῇ θαλάσσῃ Σιώπα πεφίμωσο καὶ ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη

39Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.

40Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Τί δειλοί ἐστε οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν

40“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”

41Καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους Τίς ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ ἡ θάλασσα ὑπακούει αὐτῷ

41Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”