Mark 4 Young's Literal Translation

About YLT

Individual translator
OT: Masoretic Hebrew
NT: Textus Receptus
Protestant (66 books)
Very literal
1898
Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

YLT Young's Literal Translation

WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)

1 And again he began to teach by the sea, and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he, having gone into the boat, sat in the sea, and all the multitude was near the sea, on the land,

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.

2 and he taught them many things in similes, and he said to them in his teaching:

2 He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,

3 'Hearken, lo, the sower went forth to sow;

3 “Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow.

4 and it came to pass, in the sowing, some fell by the way, and the fowls of the heaven did come and devour it;

4 As he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 and other fell upon the rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang forth, because of not having depth of earth,

5 Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.

6 and the sun having risen, it was scorched, and because of not having root it did wither;

6 When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 and other fell toward the thorns, and the thorns did come up, and choke it, and fruit it gave not;

7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8 and other fell to the good ground, and was giving fruit, coming up and increasing, and it bare, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.'

8 Others fell into the good ground and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.”

9 And he said to them, 'He who is having ears to hear — let him hear.'

9 He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 And when he was alone, those about him, with the twelve, did ask him of the simile,

10 When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

11 and he said to them, 'To you it hath been given to know the secret of the reign of God, but to those who are without, in similes are all the things done;

11 He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,

12 that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they may turn, and the sins may be forgiven them.'

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.’”

13 And he saith to them, 'Have ye not known this simile? and how shall ye know all the similes?

13 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?

14 He who is sowing doth sow the word;

14 The farmer sows the word.

15 and these are they by the way where the word is sown: and whenever they may hear, immediately cometh the Adversary, and he taketh away the word that hath been sown in their hearts.

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.

16 'And these are they, in like manner, who on the rocky ground are sown: who, whenever they may hear the word, immediately with joy do receive it,

16 These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.

17 and have not root in themselves, but are temporary; afterward tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.

17 They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.

18 'And these are they who toward the thorns are sown: these are they who are hearing the word,

18 Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,

19 and the anxieties of this age, and the deceitfulness of the riches, and the desires concerning the other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

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.

20 'And these are they who on the good ground have been sown: who do hear the word, and receive, and do bear fruit, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.'

20 Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”

21 And he said to them, 'Doth the lamp come that under the measure it may be put, or under the couch — not that it may be put on the lamp-stand?

21 He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand?

22 for there is not anything hid that may not be manifested, nor was anything kept hid but that it may come to light.

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.

23 If any hath ears to hear — let him hear.'

23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 And he said to them, 'Take heed what ye hear; in what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you; and to you who hear it shall be added;

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.

25 for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever hath not, also that which he hath shall be taken from him.'

25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; and he who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.”

26 And he said, 'Thus is the reign of God: as if a man may cast the seed on the earth,

26 He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,

27 and may sleep, and may rise night and day, and the seed spring up and grow, he hath not known how;

27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how.

28 for of itself doth the earth bear fruit, first a blade, afterwards an ear, afterwards full corn in the ear;

28 For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

29 and whenever the fruit may yield itself, immediately he doth send forth the sickle, because the harvest hath come.'

29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30 And he said, 'To what may we liken the reign of God, or in what simile may we compare it?

30 He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?

31 As a grain of mustard, which, whenever it may be sown on the earth, is less than any of the seeds that are on the earth;

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,

32 and whenever it may be sown, it cometh up, and doth become greater than any of the herbs, and doth make great branches, so that under its shade the fowls of the heaven are able to rest.'

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.”

33 And with many such similes he was speaking to them the word, as they were able to hear,

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

34 and without a simile he was not speaking to them, and by themselves, to his disciples he was expounding all.

34 Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

35 And he saith to them on that day, evening having come, 'We may pass over to the other side;'

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.”

36 and having let away the multitude, they take him up as he was in the boat, and other little boats also were with him.

36 Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him.

37 And there cometh a great storm of wind, and the waves were beating on the boat, so that it is now being filled,

37 A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.

38 and he himself was upon the stern, upon the pillow sleeping, and they wake him up, and say to him, 'Teacher, art thou not caring that we perish?'

38 He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”

39 And having waked up, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace, be stilled;' and the wind did lull, and there was a great calm:

39 He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was a great calm.

40 and he said to them, 'Why are ye so fearful? how have ye not faith?'

40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”

41 and they feared a great fear, and said one to another, 'Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey him?'

41 They were greatly afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Cross references (41)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

Quotes verse 4:28 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book IV, Chapter XVIII)
… if they do not call Himself the Son of the Creator of the world, that is, His Word, through whom the wood fructifies, and the fountains gush forth, and the earth gives "first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear."
Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)
Quotes verse 4:13 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily XLIV)
Therefore also another evangelist saith that He reproved them, because they do not understand; saying, "How knew ye not the parable?" But not for this cause only doth He speak in parables, but that He may also make His discourse more vivid, and fix the memory of it in them more perfectly, and bring the things before their sight.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

Old Testament

New Testament

In our library

What the Fathers said