^{3 Ref} And he gave them teaching in the form of a story, saying, A man went out to put seed in the earth;

^{4 Ref} And while he did so, some seeds were dropped by the wayside, and the birds came and took them for food:

^{5 Ref} And some of the seed went among the stones, where it had not much earth, and straight away it came up because the earth was not deep:

^{6 Ref} And when the sun was high, it was burned; and because it had no root it became dry and dead.

^{7 Ref} And some seeds went among thorns, and the thorns came up and they had no room for growth:

^{8 Ref} And some, falling on good earth, gave fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times as much.

^{9 Ref} He who has ears, let him give ear.

^{10 Ref} And the disciples came and said to him, Why do you say things to them in the form of stories?

^{11 Ref} And he said to them in answer, To you is given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.