Mark 4
4:1 Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea, and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
4:2 He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
4:3 "Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,
4:4 and it happened, as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
4:5 Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
4:6 When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
4:7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
4:8 Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some brought forth thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much."
4:9 He said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
4:10 When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
4:11 He said to them, "To you is given the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,
4:12 that 'seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.'
4:13 He said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
4:14 The farmer sows the word.
4:15 The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
4:16 These in like manner are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.
4:17 They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
4:18 Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,
4:19 and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
4:20 Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times."
4:21 He said to them, "Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it put on a stand?
4:22 For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.
4:23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."
4:24 He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.
4:25 For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away from him."
4:26 He said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
4:27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn't know how.
4:28 For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
4:29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come."
4:30 He said, "How will we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
4:31 It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
4:32 yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow."
4:33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
4:34 Without a parable he didn't speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let's go over to the other side."
4:36 Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him.
4:37 A big windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.
4:38 He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, "Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?"
4:39 He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
4:40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?"
4:41 They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
II Corinthians 3
3:1 Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you?
3:2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
3:3 being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.
3:4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God;
3:5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
3:6 who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
3:7 But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away:
3:8 won't service of the Spirit be with much more glory?
3:9 For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
3:10 For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses.
3:11 For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
3:12 Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,
3:13 and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel wouldn't look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.
3:14 But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.
3:15 But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.
3:16 But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
II Corinthians 4
4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we don't faint.
4:2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
4:3 Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish;
4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.
4:5 For we don't preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake;
4:6 seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
4:7 But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.
4:8 We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair;
4:9 pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;
4:10 always carrying in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
4:11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.
4:12 So then death works in us, but life in you.
4:13 But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, "I believed, and therefore I spoke." We also believe, and therefore also we speak;
4:14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will present us with you.
4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
4:16 Therefore we don't faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.
4:17 For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
4:18 while we don't look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
