4. He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up.
5. Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn't much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn't deep.
6. When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots.
7. Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. So the plants did not bear grain.
8. Still other seed fell on good soil. It grew up and produced a crop 30, 60, or even 100 times more than the farmer planted."
9. Then Jesus said, "Those who have ears should listen."
10. Later Jesus was alone. The Twelve asked him about the stories. So did the others around him.
11. He told them, "The secret of God's kingdom has been given to you. But to outsiders everything is told by using stories.
12. In that way, " 'They will see but never know what they are seeing. They will hear but never understand. Otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!' " (Isaiah 6:9,10)
13. Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this story? Then how will you understand any stories of this kind?