Sunday 13 July 2014

10For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky,and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth,and makes it grow and bud,and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;11so is my word that goes out of my mouth:it will not return to me void,but it will accomplish that which I please,and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.

10You visit the earth, and water it.You greatly enrich it.The river of God is full of water.You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it.

11You drench its furrows.You level its ridges.You soften it with showers.You bless it with a crop.

12You crown the year with your bounty.Your carts overflow with abundance.13The wilderness grasslands overflow.The hills are clothed with gladness.

14The pastures are covered with flocks.The valleys also are clothed with grain.They shout for joy!They also sing.

18For I considerthat the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glorywhich will be revealed toward us.19For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.20For the creation was subjected to vanity,not of its own will,but because of him who subjected it, in hope21that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.22For we know that the whole creation groansand travails in pain together until now.23Not only so, but ourselves also,who have the first fruits of the Spirit,even we ourselves groan within ourselves,waiting for adoption,the redemption of our body.

1On that day Jesus went out of the houseand sat by the seaside.2Great multitudes gathered to him,so that he entered into a boat and sat;and all the multitude stood on the beach.3He spoke to them many things in parables,saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow.4As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside,and the birds came and devoured them.5Others fell on rocky ground,where they didn’t have much soil,and immediately they sprang up,because they had no depth of earth.6When the sun had risen, they were scorched.Because they had no root, they withered away.7Others fell among thorns.The thorns grew up and choked them.8Others fell on good soil and yielded fruit:some one hundred times as much,some sixty, and some thirty.9He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10The disciples came,and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

11He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven,but it is not given to them.12For whoever has, to him will be given,and he will have abundance;but whoever doesn’t have,from him will be taken away even that which he has.13Therefore I speak to them in parables,because seeing they don’t see,and hearing, they don’t hear,neither do they understand.14In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,

‘By hearing you will hear,and will in no way understand;Seeing you will see,and will in no way perceive;15for this people’s heart has grown callous,their ears are dull of hearing,and they have closed their eyes;or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,hear with their ears,understand with their heart,and would turn again,and I would heal them.’

16“But blessed are your eyes, for they see;and your ears, for they hear.17For most certainly I tell you that many prophetsand righteous men desired to see the things which you see,and didn’t see them;and to hear the things which you hear,and didn’t hear them.

18“Hear, then, the parable of the farmer.19When anyone hears the word of the Kingdomand doesn’t understand it,the evil one comes and snatches awaythat which has been sown in his heart.This is what was sown by the roadside.20What was sown on the rocky places,this is he who hears the wordand immediately with joy receives it;21yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while.When oppression or persecution arises because of the word,immediately he stumbles.22What was sown among the thorns,this is he who hears the word,but the cares of this ageand the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,and he becomes unfruitful.23What was sown on the good ground,this is he who hears the word and understands it,who most certainly bears fruit and produces,some one hundred times as much,some sixty, and some thirty.”