21 He
said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead,
don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is
meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out
into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider
carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be
measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given
more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Again
Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so
large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the
people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught
them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen!
A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the
seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some
fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,
because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the
plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did
not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came
up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a
hundred times.”
9 Then
Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10 When
he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the
parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God
has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in
parables 12 so that,
“‘they
may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”
13 Then
Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you
understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some
people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they
hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others,
like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But
since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or
persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still
others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the
worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other
things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others,
like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some
thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
10 In
the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became
king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. 11 He
did evil in the eyes of the Lord
and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he
had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them.
12 As
for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, all he did and his achievements,
including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the
book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 13 Jehoash rested
with his ancestors, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was
buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 Now Elisha
had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel
went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The
chariots and horsemen of Israel!”
15 Elisha
said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. 16 “Take the
bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha
put his hands on the king’s hands.
17 “Open
the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot.
“The Lord’s arrow of victory, the
arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the
Arameans at Aphek.”
18 Then
he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike
the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. 19 The man
of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or
six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But
now you will defeat it only three times.”
20 Elisha
died and was buried.
Now
Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 21 Once
while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders;
so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s
bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
22 Hazael
king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. 23 But
the Lord was gracious to them and
had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or
banish them from his presence.
24 Hazael
king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son succeeded him as king. 25 Then
Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns he
had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Jehoash defeated him,
and so he recovered the Israelite towns.
