24. The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.

25. Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

28. When JESUS had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,

29. for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.

When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

8. But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

9. As JESUS passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him,"Follow me." He got up and followed him.

10. As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with JESUS and his disciples.

11. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

12. When JESUS heard it, he said to them,"Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.

13. But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,'Hosea 6:6for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

14. Then John's disciples came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"

15. JESUS said to them,"Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made.

17. Neither do people put new wine into old wine skins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved."

18. While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."

19. JESUS got up and followed him, as did his disciples.

20. Behold, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment;

21. for she said within herself, "If I just touch his garment, I will be made well."

22. But JESUS, turning around and seeing her, said,"Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.

23. When JESUS came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder,

24. he said to them,"Make room, because the girl isn't dead, but sleeping."They were ridiculing him.

25. But when the crowd was put out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose.

26. The report of this went out into all that land.

27. As JESUS passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, "Have mercy on us, son of David!"

28. When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. JESUS said to them,"Do you believe that I am able to do this?"They told him, "Yes, Lord."

29. Then he touched their eyes, saying,"According to your faith be it done to you."

30. Their eyes were opened. JESUS strictly commanded them, saying,"See that no one knows about this."

31. But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land.

32. As they went out, behold, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him.

33. When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"

23. All the multitudes were amazed, and said, "Can this be the son of David?"

24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons."

25. Knowing their thoughts, JESUS said to them,"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

26. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

27. If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

28. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God's Kingdom has come upon you.

29. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.

30. "He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn't gather with me, scatters.

31. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

32. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.

33. "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

34. You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

35. The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasurebrings out evil things.

36. I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

37. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

38. Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."

2. Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach.

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

4. As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.

5. Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.

6. When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.

7. Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.

8. Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.

9. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

10. The disciples came, and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

11. He answered them,"To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.

12. For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn't have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.

13. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don't see, and hearing, they don't hear, neither do they understand.

14. In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,'By hearing you will hear,and will in no way understand;Seeing you will see,and will in no way perceive:

15. for this people's heart has grown callous,their ears are dull of hearing,they have closed their eyes;or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,hear with their ears,understand with their heart,and would turn again;and I would heal them.'Isaiah 6:9-10

16. "But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

17. For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn't see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn't hear them.

18. "Hear, then, the parable of the farmer.

19. When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.

20. What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it;

21. yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

22. What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

23. What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and produces, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."

24. He set another parable before them, saying,"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,

25. but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weedsalso among the wheat, and went away.

26. But when the blade sprang up and produced fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also.

27. The servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?'

28. "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?'

29. "But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.

30. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

31. He set another parable before them, saying,"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;

32. which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches."

33. He spoke another parable to them."The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measuresof meal, until it was all leavened."

34. JESUS spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn't speak to them,

35. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,"I will open my mouth in parables;I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world."Psalm 78:2

36. Then JESUS sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field."

37. He answered them,"He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

38. the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.

39. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

40. As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age.

41. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity,

42. and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

43. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

44. "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

45. "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls,

46. who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

47. "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind,

48. which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away.

49. So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous,

50. and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth."

51. JESUS said to them,"Have you understood all these things?"They answered him, "Yes, Lord."

52. He said to them,"Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things."

53. When JESUS had finished these parables, he departed from there.

54. Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works?