own upon the good ground, this is he that
heareth the word in an honest and good heart, and understandeth it,
who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty."

THE TARES.

Another parable set he before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is
likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: but while men
slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went
away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then
appeared the tares also. And the servants of the householder came and
said unto him, 'Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence
then hath it tares?' And he said unto them, 'An enemy hath done this.'
And the servants say unto him, 'Wilt thou then that we go and gather
them up?' But he saith, 'Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares,
ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the
harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers,
Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but
gather the wheat into my barn.'"

THE GROWING GRAIN.

And he said, "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed
upon the earth; and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed
should spring up and grow, he knoweth not how. The earth beareth fruit
of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the
ear. But when the fruit is ripe, straightway he putteth forth the
sickle, because the harvest is come."

THE MUSTARD SEED.

And he said, "How shall we liken the kingdom of God? or in what
parable shall we set it forth? It is like a grain of mustard seed,
which, when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the
seeds that are upon the earth, yet when it is sown, groweth up, and
becometh greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches;
so that the birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof."

THE LEAVEN.

Another parable spake he unto them: "The kingdom of heaven is like
unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal,
till it was all leavened."

THE UNDERSTANDING OF PARABLES.

All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and
without a parable spake he nothing unto them: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

"I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world."

Then he left the multitudes,