23. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
24. And he said to them, “Take care what you hear! With the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you, and will be added to you.
25. For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
26. And he said, “The kingdom of God is like this: like a man scatters seed on the ground.
27. And he sleeps and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he does not know how.
28. By itself the soil produces a crop: first the grass, then the head of grain, then the full grain in the head.
29. But when the crop permits, he sends in the sickle right away, because the harvest has come.”
30. And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable can we present it?
31. It is like a mustard seed that when sown on the ground, although it is the smallest of all the seeds that are on the ground,
32. but when it is sown it grows up and becomes the largest of all the garden herbs, and sends out large branches so that the birds of the sky are able to nest in its shade.”
33. And with many parables such as these he was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
34. And he did not speak to them without a parable, but in private he explained everything to his own disciples.
35. And on that day, when it was evening, he said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
36. And leaving the crowd, they took him along, as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him.
37. And a great storm of wind developed, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already being filled with water.
38. And he was in the stern sleeping on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, is it not a concern to you that we are perishing?”