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譯本參照AFV  A  Faithful Version 的希臘文 2009版本

10. And His disciples came to Him and asked, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

11. And He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

12. For whoever has understanding, to him more shall be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have understanding, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

13. For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing, they see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand.

14. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, ‘In hearing you shall hear, and in no way understand; and in seeing you shall see, and in no way perceive;

15. For the heart of this people has grown fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and should hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them.’

16. But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

17. For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see, and have not seen; and to hear what you hear, and have not heard.

18. Therefore, hear the parable of the sower:

19. When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the one who was sown by the way.

20. Now the one who was sown upon the rocky places is the one who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy;

21. But because he has no root in himself, he does not endure; for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, he is quickly offended.

22. And the one who was sown among the thorns is the one who hears the Word, but the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.

23. But the one who was sown on good ground, this is the one who hears the Word and understands, who indeed brings forth fruit and produces—one a hundredfold, another sixtyfold and another thirtyfold.”

 (A Faithful Version)

10. 一起在船上的門徒到耶穌面前，問：為什麼用比喻對岸上這些人說比喻？

11. 耶穌回應：認識彌賽亞國度的奧祕是你們的權利，對於這些人就沒有。

12. 愈是明白的，能得到的就愈多。不明白的，他本來有的都會因而減少。

13. 為此，才會對這些人以比喻的方式述說出來，讓當中有些人要尋找卻尋不著，要聽卻不明，總之就是不理解。

14. 這現象驗證了以賽亞的預言：人，聽是聽見了，卻不明白；看是看見了，卻不曉得。

15. 都因這些人是心蒙脂油，耳朵發沉，眼睛閉著。真的害怕他們眼睛能見，耳朵聽見，心裡一旦明白，願意改過，就得去治痊這樣的人。

16. 如今你們身為使徒，眼睛是有福，因為能見，耳朵是有福了，因為能明。

17. 事實上，許多先知和義人是想看你們今日所看到的，只是不曾看到，想聽你們今日所聽的，卻無法得聽。

18. 就是你們今日聽到這撒種的比喻：

19. 人是聽到彌賽亞國度的事，只是不明。就讓邪惡之念，把撒在心裡的道奪去，這人屬撒在路旁的。

20. 有人屬撒在淺土石子上，聽了道，立時有歡喜喜地的反應，

21. 可惜根淺，不深，當遭遇不愉快或受困逼時，因道理不深就容易感到被冒犯。

22. 至於屬撒在荊棘叢中的，道是聽了，卻被今生的思慮和錢財迷惑，道被擠了，結不出該有的果子。

23. 只有那撒在好土的，是聽了道，又明白，果子也結出來，有百倍，有六十倍，有三十倍。

耶穌說為什麼用比喻？耶穌的解釋很有意思，卻不是許多人能接受。原因是不接受的人，不是看不到聽不明，而是一開始就封了一切去認識的途徑：人獨有的理性和感性。

當中的緣因是這類人士心存不善，引發出來的反應。耶穌那時的處境跟在舊約的以賽亞的遭遇一樣，當時的猶太人不接受以賽亞宣告那悔改之道，今日的文士、祭司和法利賽人也存這樣的心思。對於存心不善的 (這些人聽了，不是不明，是明了卻生惡念要致耶穌死地)，如何替他們設想，都會被誤以為要害他們。用比喻，就是給願意思考的人。要明白耶穌這番言論的背景，要參考以賽亞當時的處境，可參考以賽亞書6章。大約的意思是：以賽亞作出勸籲，看清自身的光景，滿是惡念，是時候改過。誰曉得自己原來在一眾不願意改過的人當中，驚呼：禍哉！我滅亡了！因為我是嘴唇不潔的人，又住在嘴唇不潔的民中。幸好耶和華用炭火先將他咀唇潔淨，才去宣講。耶穌當然不用經過炭火燒咀這個步驟。結果怎樣？講真話無人相信。

這處也是很好的示範：一個故事二個解釋。那是因為對象不同，解釋的時候，原則和精神不變，立論用字不同，就有了對不同的人有不同的面貌產生。

當耶穌說出人在世所受到的影響，讓人走迷的時候，以色列人是一種反應，猶太人當中的文士法利賽人另一種反應，這時有了外邦，即猶太人以外的民眾的反應。因此在上一章說的比喻，內容似乎是給這些外邦人聽，這些人沒有傳統的包袱，對比喻的理解，是可以透過對文學表達這類方式去明白，更重要是沒有心理和傳統的包袱。

在這段的比喻，是同一個內容，卻因為對象是猶太人一族，這民眾有傳統有歷史的包袱，許多都執著於舊有的認識，對於耶穌傳遞的更新，反對是正常，反攻是人的自私 (因為要設計殺害)，這個比喻的內容，在詮釋上，耶穌作了不同的形容，只因為明白這些人不會去聽。

耶穌的傳講信息，會因不同的對象，就會用同一種方式，就看受眾存什麼心態，有人明白，有人不明，是正常的事。緣因不在比喻本身，是在那人存什麼的心：願意聆聽還是抗拒，看人的反應，就明白有時講多，並不會有更大的果效出現。