He (Jesus) put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven
may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25but
while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among
the wheat, and then went away. 26So when the plants came up and
bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27And the slaves of the
householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good
seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28He
answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do
you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he replied, ‘No; for in
gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.
30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time
I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles
to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
31He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a
mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32it is the
smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of
shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make
nests in its branches.”
5
33He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all
of it was leavened.” 34Jesus told the crowds all these things in
parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35This was to fulfill
what had been spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth to
speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the
foundation of the world.”
36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples
approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of
the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the
Son of Man; 38the field is the world, and the good seed are the
children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,
39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end
of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Just as the weeds are collected
and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41The Son
of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom
all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42and they will throw them into the
furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. Let anyone with ears listen!