Section XVI.
[1] 1142
Then answered
certain of the
scribes and
Pharisees, that they might tempt him, [2]
and said,
Teacher, we desire to see a sign from thee.
1143
He answered and said, This
evil and
adulterous generation
1144
seeketh a sign; and
it shall not be given a sign, [3] except the sign of Jonah the
prophet.
1145
And as Jonah was a
sign to the
inhabitants [4] of
Nineveh, so shall the Son of man also be
to this generation.
1146
And as Jonah was in
the
belly of the great
fish three days and three nights, so shall the
Son of man [5] be in the
heart of the
earth three days and three
nights.
1147
The
queen of the
south shall rise in the judgement with the people of this generation,
and
condemn1148
| 1148 See note to § 10,
13. |
them: for she
came from the ends of the
earth that she might hear the
wisdom of
Solomon; [6] [Arabic, p. 62] and behold, here is a better than
Solomon.
1149
The men of
Nineveh
shall stand in the judgement with this generation, and
condemn
it: for they
repented at [7] the
preaching of Jonah; and behold,
here is a greater than Jonah.
1150
The
unclean
spirit, when he goeth out of the man, departeth, and goeth about
through places wherein are no waters, that he may find
rest for
himself; and when he findeth
it not, he [8] saith, I will return
to my
house whence I came out.
1151
And
if he come and find it [9]
adorned and set in order,
1152
then he goeth, and associateth with himself
seven other spirits worse than himself; and they enter and dwell in
it: and the end of that man [10] shall be worse than his
beginning.
1153
Thus shall it be
unto this
evil generation.
[11] 1154
And while he was
saying that, a
woman from the multitude lifted up her voice, and said
unto him,
Blessed is the
womb that bare thee, and the breasts that
nursed [12] thee.
1155
But he said unto
her,
Blessed is he that heareth the word of
God, and keepeth it.
[13] 1156
And while he was
speaking unto the multitude, there came unto him his mother [14] and
his
brethren, and sought to speak with him;
1157
and
they were not able, because of [15] the multitude; and they stood
without and sent, calling him unto them.
1158
A
man said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy
brethren are
standing without, and
seek to [16] speak with thee.
1159
But he answered unto him that spake unto him,
Who is my [17] mother? and who are my
brethren?
1160
And he beckoned with his
hand, stretching it
out towards his
disciples, and said, Behold, my mother! and behold, my
brethren! [18]
1161
And every man that
shall do the will of my
Father which is in
heaven is my
brother, and my
sister, and my mother.
[19] 1162
And after that,
Jesus was going about in the cities and in the
villages, and
proclaiming [Arabic, p. 63] and
preaching the
kingdom of
God, and
his
1163
| 1163 The Arabic printed
text gives no sense. A simple change in the diacritical points of
one letter gives the reading of the Syriac versions, which is adopted
here. |
twelve with him, [20]
1164
and the
women which had been
healed of
diseases and of
evil spirits,
Mary [21] that
was called
Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven
devils,
1165
and Joanna the
wife of Chuza
Herod’s
steward, and Susanna, and many others, who were ministering to them of
their substance.
[22] 1166
And after that,
Jesus went out of the
house, and sat on the
sea shore.
1167
And there [23] gathered unto him great
multitudes. And when the press of the people was great upon him,
he went up and sat in the
boat; and all the multitude was standing on
the [24]
shore of the
sea.
1168
And he spake to
them much in
parables, and said, The sower [25] went forth to
sow: and when he sowed,
1169
some fell on the
beaten
highway; and it was [26] trodden upon, and the
birds ate
it.
1170
And other fell on
the
rocks: and some, where there was not much
earth; and straightway it
sprang up, because it had no
depth in [27] the
earth:
1171
and when the sun rose, it withered; and
because it had no root, it dried [28] up.
1172
And some fell among
thorns; and the
thorns
sprang up with it, and
choked it; [29] and it yielded no fruit.
1173
And other fell into excellent
and
good
1174
| 1174 cf. Peshitta
(against Cur. and Sin.). |
ground; and it came up, and grew, and
brought forth fruit, some thirty, and some sixty, and some [30] a
hundred.
1175
And when he said
that, he
cried, He that hath
ears that hear, let him [31] hear.
1176
And when they were alone, his
disciples came,
and asked him, and said unto [32] him, What is this
parable? and why
spakest thou unto them in
parables?
1177
He
[Arabic, p. 64] answered and said unto them, Unto you is given the
knowledge of the
secrets of the
kingdom of
God; but it is not given
unto them that are [33] without.
1178
He
that hath shall be given unto, and there shall be added; and he that
[34] hath not, that which he hath shall be taken from him also.
1179
For this
cause therefore I speak unto
them in
parables; because they see, and see not; and hear, and hear
[35] not, nor understand.
1180
And in them is
being fulfilled the
prophecy of Isaiah, who said,
Hearing they shall hear, and shall not understand;
And seeing they shall see, and shall not perceive:
[36] 1181
The
heart of this
people is
waxed gross,
And their hearing with their ears is become heavy,
And they have closed their eyes;
Lest they should see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their hearts,
And should return,
And I should heal them.
[37, 38] 1182
But ye,
blessed are
your
eyes, which see; and your
ears, which hear.
1183
Blessed [39] are the
eyes which see what ye
see.
1184
Verily I say unto
you, Many of the
prophets and the
righteous longed to see what ye see,
and saw not; and to hear what ye [40] hear, and heard not.
1185
When ye know not this
parable, how shall ye
know all
parables? [41, 42]
1186
Hear ye the
parable of the sower.
1187
The sower which
sowed, sowed the word [43] of
God.
1188
Every one who heareth the word of the
kingdom, and understandeth it not, the
evil one cometh and snatcheth
away the word
that hath been sown in his [44]
heart: and
this is that
which was sown on the middle of the
highway.
1189
But
that which was sown on the
rocks
is he that heareth the word, and straightway receiveth [45, 46]
[Arabic, p. 65] it with
joy;
1190
only, it hath no
root in his
soul, but his belief in it
is for a time;
1191
and whenever there is
distress or persecution
because of a
1192
| 1192 See above, § 1,
40, note 2. |
word, he [47]
stumbleth
1193
| 1193 Or, is
seduced (cf. § 25, 17, note). |
quickly.
1194
And
that which was sown among the
thorns is he that heareth the word;
1195
and the care of
this
world, and the error of
riches, and the
rest of the [48] other
lusts enter, and
choke the word, and it becometh without fruit.
1196
And that which was sown in good ground is he
that heareth my word in a pure
and good
heart, and understandeth
it, and holdeth to it, and bringeth forth fruit with
patience,
1197
and produceth either a hundredfold or
sixtyfold or thirty.
[49] 1198
And he said, So is
the
kingdom of
God, like a man who casteth
seed into the [50]
earth,
and sleepeth and riseth by
night and day,
1199
and
the
seed groweth and cometh [51] up, whence
1200
he
knoweth not.
1201
And the
earth
bringeth it to the fruit; and first it [52] will be blade, and after it
ear, and at last
perfect wheat in the ear:
1202
and whenever the fruit ripeneth,
1203
| 1203 Lit.
fatteneth, as in Peshitta. |
he bringeth immediately the sickle, for the
harvest hath come.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
