¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. ²Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore. ³And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop — a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. ⁹He who has ears, let him hear.”