35 Let your loins be girded about, and 36 your lamps burning; and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open 37 unto him. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come 38 and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those serv 39 ants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his 40 house to be broken through. Be ye also ready for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh. 41 : And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all? 42 And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due sea43 son? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so 44 doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. 45 But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and 46 to be drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with 48 many stripes; but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more. 49 I came to cast fire upon the earth; and what will I, if it is already kindled? 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it 51 be accomplished! Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell 52 you, Nay; but rather division: for there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three against two, 53 and two against three. They shall be 54 divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in law against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against her mother in law. And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a 55 shower; and so it cometh to pass. And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a scorching heat; 56 and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to interpret this 57 time? And why even of yourselves 58 judge ye not what is right? For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he hale thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer shall cast thee into 59 prison. I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the very last mite. 13 Now there were some present at that very season which told him of the Galilæans, whose blood Pilate had mingled 2 with their sacrifices. And he answered and said unto them, Think ye that these Galilæans were sinners above all the Galilæans, because they have suf3 fered these things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like 4 manner perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye that they were offenders above all the men that dwell 5 in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Parables of the kingdom. MATTHEW XIII. On that day went Jesus out of the 2 house, and sat by the sea side. And there were gathered unto him great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat, and sat; and all the multitude 3 stood on the beach. And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, 4 Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and de5 voured them: and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much. earth; and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth; 6 and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no 7 root, they withered away. And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns 8 grew up, and choked them: and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, 9 some thirty. He that hath ears, let him hear. ΙΟ And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in II parables? And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of 12 heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but who soever hath not, from him shall be taken 13 away even that which he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they under14 stand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, 15 By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in For this people's heart is waxed gross, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see; 17 and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and 18 heard them not. Hear then ye the 19 parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he 20 that was sown by the way side. And he that was sown upon the rocky places, |