A Story about a Farmer
(Mark 4.1-9Luke 8.4-8)1 That same day Jesus left the house and went out beside Lake Galilee, where he sat down to teach. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he had to sit in a boat, while the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he taught them many things by using stories. He said:
A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. 4 While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. 5 Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have deep roots. 7 Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants. 8 But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants produced 100 or 60 or 30 times as much as was scattered. 9 If you have ears, pay attention!
Why Jesus Used Stories
(Mark 4.10-12Luke 8.9Luke 10)10 Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you use stories to speak to the people?”
11 Jesus answered:
I have explained the secrets about the kingdom of heaven to you, but not to others. 12 Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose even what little they have. 13 I use stories when I speak to them because when they look, they cannot see, and when they listen, they cannot hear or understand. 14 So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,
“These people will listen
and listen,
but never understand.
They will look and look,
but never see.
15 All of them have
stubborn minds!
They refuse to listen;
they cover their eyes.
They cannot see or hear
or understand.
If they could,
they would turn to me,
and I would heal them.”
16 But God has blessed you, because your eyes can see and your ears can hear! 17 Many prophets and good people were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you they did not see or hear.
Jesus Explains the Story about the Farmer
(Mark 4.13-20Luke 8.11-15)18 Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer:
19 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts. 20 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. 21 But they don't have deep roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.
22 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. 23 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as 100 or 60 or 30 times what was planted.
Weeds among the Wheat
24 Jesus then told them this story:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a farmer scattered good seed in a field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and scattered weed seeds in the field and then left.
26 When the plants came up and began to mature, the farmer's servants could see the weeds. 27 The servants came and asked, “Sir, didn't you scatter good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?”
28 “An enemy did this,” he replied.
His servants then asked, “Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?”
29 “No!” he answered. “You might also pull up the wheat. 30 Leave the weeds alone until harvest time. Then I'll tell my workers to gather the weeds and tie them up and burn them. But I'll order them to store the wheat in my barn.”
Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast
(Mark 4.30-32Luke 13.18-21)31 Jesus told them another story:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. 32 Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.
33 Jesus also said:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a woman mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.
The Reason for Teaching with Stories
(Mark 4.33Mark 34)34 Jesus used stories when he spoke to the people. In fact, he did not tell them anything without using stories. 35 So God's promise came true, just as the prophet had said,
“I will use stories
to speak my message
and to explain things hidden
since the creation
of the world.”
Jesus Explains the Story about the Weeds
36 After Jesus left the crowd and went inside, his disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the story about the weeds in the wheat field.”
37 Jesus answered:
The one who scattered the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seeds are the people who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those who belong to the evil one, 39 and the one who scattered them is the devil. The harvest is the end of time, and angels are the ones who bring in the harvest.
40 Weeds are gathered and burned. That's how it will be at the end of time. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin. 42 Then he will throw them into a flaming furnace, where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. 43 But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!
A Hidden Treasure
44 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. Such a person is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.
A Valuable Pearl
45 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a shop owner is looking for fine pearls. 46 After finding a very valuable one, the owner goes and sells everything in order to buy that pearl.
A Fish Net
47 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a net is thrown into a lake and catches all kinds of fish. 48 When the net is full, it is dragged to the shore, and the fishermen sit down to separate the fish. They keep the good ones, but throw the bad ones away. 49 That's how it will be at the end of time. Angels will come and separate the evil people from the ones who have done right. 50 Then those evil people will be thrown into a flaming furnace, where they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.
New and Old Treasures
51 Jesus asked his disciples if they understood all these things. They said, “Yes, we do.”
52 So he told them, “Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom.”
The People of Nazareth Turn against Jesus
(Mark 6.1-6Luke 4.16-30)53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he left 54 and went to his hometown. He taught in their synagogue, and the people were so amazed that they asked, “Where does he get all this wisdom and the power to work these miracles? 55 Isn't he the son of the carpenter? Isn't Mary his mother, and aren't James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? 56 Don't his sisters still live here in our town? How can he do all this?” 57 So the people were upset because of what he was doing.
But Jesus said, “Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their own family.” 58 And because the people did not have any faith, Jesus did not work many miracles there.
Eyele lyomukuni
(Mrk. 4:1-10Luk. 8:4-15)1 Esiku olyo tuu ndyoka Jesus okwa zi mo megumbo e ta kuutumba pefuta. 2 Aantu oyendji oye mu gongalele, onkee okwa yi mowato e ta kuutumba, manga ongundu ayihe yaantu ya thikama komunkulo gwefuta. 3 Oye okwe ya lombwele iinima oyindji momayele a ti:
“Omukuni okwa ka kuna. Omukuni okwa ka kuna. 4 Ano mokukuna kwe oombuto dhimwe odha gwile mondjila, noondhila odhe ya e tadhi dhi shomona po. 5 Dhimwe odha gwile poshipale pwaa na evi olindji. Onkee odha mene mbalambala, oshoka kapwa li evi ele. 6 Etango sho lya piti, omimeno odha lembe, naasho dha li dhaa na omidhi dha ya muule, odha ganya. 7 Dhimwe odha gwile moongwena. Oongwena sho dha koko, odhe dhi thininike. 8 Ihe dhimwe odha gwile mevi ewanawa nodha vala, dhimwe olwethele, dhimwe olwomilongo hamano, nadhimwe olwomilongo ndatu.”
9 “Ngoka e na omakutsi, nu uve ko!”
10 Aalongwa oye ya kuJesus noye mu pula ya ti: “Omolwashike to ya lombwele momayele?”
11 Oye e ya yamukula a ti: “Ne omwa pewa owino okutseya iiholekwa yOshilongo shegulu, ihe yalwe inaye yi pewa. 12 Oshoka ngoka e na, oye ota pewa, opo a kale a gwanenena. Ihe ngoka kee na, oye ota kuthwa naashoka e shi na. 13 Otandi ya lombwele momayele, oshoka oye na omeho gokumona, ihe ihaa mono ko, nomakutsi gokuuva, ihe ihaa uvu ko. 14 Osho ngaaka ehunganeko lyaJesaja tali ningi lyoshili sho tali ti:
‘Okuuva ohamu uvu, ihe kamu uvite ko.
Okumona ohamu mono, ihe kamu wete ko.
15 Oshoka omitima dhaantu mbaka odha kukuta;
ihaa uvu ko nawa.
Omeho gawo oga thithikila, opo gaa mone ko,
nomakutsi gawo gaa uve ko,
omitima dhawo dhaa taambe, opo yaa galukile kungame,
ngame ndaahe ya aludhe.’
16 “Ihe omeho geni oge na elago, sho taga monoko, nomakutsi geni, sho tagu uvu ko. 17 Otandi mu lombwele: Aahunganeki naayuuki oyendji oya li ya hala nokuhalelela okumona mbyoka tamu yi tala, yo inaye yi mona, nokuuva ndhoka tamu dhi uvu, yo inaye dhi uva.”
18 “Pulakeneni ano eyele lyomukuni shoka tali ti. 19 Okehe tuu ngoka ta pulakene oohapu dhOshilongo, kee dhi uvite ko, nena okwa fa ndhoka dha kunwa mondjila. Mwiinayi ote ya e ta yugu mo ndhoka dha kunwa momwenyo gwe. 20 Ndhoka dha kunwa poshipale, oye ngoka ta pulakene oohapu note dhi taamba nziya nenyanyu, 21 ihe itadhi ningine muye. Ota dhiginine okathimbo kowala. Uuna tapu ya uudhigu nenge etidhagano omolwoohapu, nena mbalambala ote etha eitaalo. 22 Ndhoka dha kunwa moongwena, oye ngoka ta pulakene oohapu, ihe oshimpwiyu shuuyuni mbuka nefundjaleko lyuuyamba otayi thininike oohapu, noita imike iiyimati. 23 Ndhoka dha kunwa mevi ewanawa, oye tuu ngoka tu uvu oohapu e te dhi dhiginine. Oye te eta iiyimati, gumwe olwethele, gumwe olwomilongo hamano nagumwe olwomilongo ndatu.”
Eyele lyomawu
24 Jesus okwe ya lombwele ishewe eyele ekwawo a ti: “Oshilongo shegulu osha fa omuntu a kunu ombuto ombwanawa mepya lye. 25 Ihe manga aantu ya kotha, omutondi okwe ya nokwa kunu omawu mokati kiilya e ta yi. 26 Ano omimeno sho dha koko nodha vala, omawu oga holoka wo. 27 Nena aamati ye oye ya kuye noye mu pula ya ti: ‘Omuwa, ino kuna mo nani oombuto oombwanawa mepya lyoye? Omawu oga zi peni ano?’ 28 Oye okwa ti kuyo: ‘Omutondi e shi ningi.’ Aamati noya ti kuye: ‘Owa hala, tu ye, tu ke ga vudhe mo?’ 29 Oye okwa yamukula a ti: ‘Aawe, opo mwaa vudhile omawu mumwe niilya. 30 Etheni, ga koke mumwe niilya sigo esiku lyeteyo. Mesiku lyeteyo otandi lombwele aateyi: Gongeleni tango omawu, ne mu mange iihampi, opo ga fikwe po. Ihe iilya yi punguleni miigandhi yandje.’ ”
Eyele lyomuma yosinapi
(Mrk. 4:30-32Luk. 13:18-19)31 Jesus okwe ya lombwele ishewe eyele a ti: “Oshilongo shegulu osha fa omuma yosinapi, omulumentu e yi kutha nokwe yi kunu mepya lye. 32 Oyo okamuma okashuushuka ke vulike koomuma adhihe. Ihe ngele tayi koko, oyi vule iihwa ayihe. Oyo tayi ningi omuti, noondhila otadhi ya e tadhi tungile iihandhila yadho miitayi yagwo.”
Eyele lyefulika
(Luk. 13:20-21)33 Jesus okwe ya lombwele ishewe eyele ekwawo a ti: “Oshilongo shegulu osha fa efulika, omukiintu e li kutha e te li pilulile muusila woontungwa ndatu, sigo auhe wa fulu.”
Elongo lyaJesus pamayele
(Mrk. 4:33-34)34 Adhihe ndhoka Jesus okwe dhi lombwele aantu ta popi momayele, ye ine ya lombwela sha itaa popi momayele. 35 Opo oohapu ndhoka dha popiwa komuhunganeki, dhi ninge dhoshili, sho ta ti: “Ongame tandi popi momayele; tandi popi iinima mbyoka ya li ya holekwa okuza ketameko lyuuyuni.”
Jesus ta fatulula eyele lyomawu
36 Jesus okwa laleke aantu e ta yi megumbo. Aalongwa ye oye ya kuye ya ti: “Tu fatululila eyele lyomawu gomepya.” 37 Oye e ya yamukula a ti: “Ngoka a kunu ombuto ombwanawa, oye Omuna gwOmuntu. 38 Epya olyo uuyuni. Ombuto ombwanawa oyo aana yOshilongo. Omawu ogo aana yaMwiinayi. 39 Omutondi ngoka a kunu omawu, oye omuhindadhi. Eteyo olyo ehulilo lyuuyuni. Aateyi oyo aayengeli. 40 Ongaashi omawu haga gongelwa e taga fikwa po momulilo, osho taku ka ningwa mesiku lyahugunina. 41 Omuna gwOmuntu ota ka tuma ko aayengeli ye, notaa ka gongolola mOshilongo she aahongololi ayehe naayehe mboka haa yono ompango. 42 Oyo taye ke ya umbila meziko lya hanya, moka tamu ka kala elilagano neikokoto lyomayego. 43 Nena aayuuki otaa ka adhima ngetango omOshilongo shaHe. Ngoka e na omakutsi, nu uve ko!”
Eyele lyuuyamba wa holekwa nokawe
44 “Oshilongo shegulu osha fa uuyamba wa holekwa mepya. Omulumentu gumwe okwe u itsu e te u holeke. Omolwenyanyu okwa yi nokwa landitha po iinima ye ayihe e ta landa epya ndiyaka. 45 Osho wo Oshilongo shegulu osha fa omuhalithi ta kongo uuwe wo opala. 46 Oye sho a mono okawe kamwe ke na ondilo, okwa yi nokwa landitha po ayihe e te ki ilandele.”
Eyele lyoshiyulitho
47 “Osho wo Oshilongo shegulu osha fa oshiyulitho shoohi she endithilwa mefuta e tashi kwata oohi dhomaludhi agehe. 48 Ano oshiyulitho sho shu udha, aayuli oye shi hilile komunkulo. Oyo ya kuutumba e taye dhi yoolola. Oohi oombwanawa oye dhi tula miiyuma yawo, ihe oombwinayi oye dhi ekelehi. 49 Ano osho taku ningi pehulilo lyuuyuni. Aayengeli otaa yi notaa yoolola aawinayi maawanawa 50 notaye ya umbile meziko lya hanya, moka tamu ka kala elilagano neikokoto lyomayego.”
Iipe niikulu
51 Jesus okwe ya pula a ti: “Omu uvu ko tuu adhihe ndhoka?”
Oyo ya ti: “Eeno.”
52 Onkee okwa ti kuyo: “Ano okehe tuu omulongimpango ta ningi omulongwa gwOshilongo shegulu, okwa fa mwene gwegumbo ta holola mompungulo ye iinima iipe niikulu.”
Jesus ta dhinwa muNasaret
(Mrk. 6:1-6Luk. 4:16-30)53 Jesus sho a mana okupopya omayele ngaka, okwa zi po mpoka. 54 Okwe ya koshilando shaandjawo nokwa longo aantu moosinagoga dhawo. Oyo ya kumwa e taa ti: “Oondunge ndhika niilongankondo okwe yi adha peni? 55 Ke shi nani omuna gwomuhongi gwiipilangi, omuna gwaMaria, omumwayina gwaJakob, Josef, Judas naSimon? 56 Aamwayina aakiintu hayo mbaka putse mpano? Mbika ayihe okwe yi adha peni?” 57 Oyo ye mu nyeme.
Jesus okwa ti kuyo: “Omuhunganeki iha dhinwa palwe, aawe, omoshilando tuu shaandjawo nomegumbo lyaandjawo.” 58 Onkee ano Jesus ina vula we okuningila ko iilongankondo oyindji omolwokwaaitaala kwawo.
