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phemy will be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy 32 against the spirit* will not be forgiven unto men: and whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the holy spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in 33 this age, nor in the age to come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and 34 its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by the fruit. Ye broodt of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth 35 speaketh. A good man out of his good treasure bringeth

forth good things: and an evil man out of his evil treasure 36 bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, that every idle word which men shall speak, they shall give 37 account of in a day & of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

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Then some of the Scribes and of the Pharisees spake, saying, " Master, we request || to see a sign from thee." 39 But he answered and said unto them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and a sign shall not be given it, except the sign of the prophet 40 Jonah. For as-Jonah was three days and three nights

in the belly of the fish, so will the Son of man be three 41 days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgement together with this generation, and will condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater 42 than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise in the judgement together with this generation, and will condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to

* In attributing my miracles to the power of Satan. Mark iii. 30. N. They who ascribed the miracles of Jesus and his apostles to demoniacal agency, resisted the strongest possible evidence of the truth of the christian religion, and were therefore incapable of being converted to the belief of it.

to generation, N.

† the day, N.

desire, N.

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hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

"Now when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he passeth through dry places, seeking rest; and findeth 44 none. Then he saith, 'I will return into mine house whence I came out:' and when he is come, he findeth 45 it empty, swept, and set in order. Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Thus will it be also to this evil generation."

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Now while he yet spake to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak 47 with him. Then one said unto him, "Behold, thy mo

ther and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak 48 with thee." But he answered and said to him that told

him, "Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?" 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and 50 said, "Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father that is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother."

CH. XIII. Now on that day Jesus went out of the house, and 2 sat by the side of the lake. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, 3 and sat: and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, 4 "Behold, a sower went out to sow: and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way-side, and the birds came and 5 devoured them. And some fell on rocky places, where they had not much earth: and immediately they sprang 6 up, because they had not depth of earth: but when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and, because they 7 had not root, they withered. And some fell among 8 thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked them. But others fell on good ground, and yielded fruit, some an

9 hundred-fold, and some sixty, and some thirty. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

10 And the disciples came near, and said unto him, " Why 11 speakest thou to them in parables?" And he answered

and said unto them, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; but unto them it 12 is not given. For whosoever hath much, to him shall be given, and he shall abound: but whosoever hath little, 13 from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. I

therefore speak to them in parables, because seeing they 14 see not; and hearing they hear not, nor understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith,

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By hearing ye will hear, and will not understand; and

15 seeing ye will see, and will not perceive. For the heart of this people is become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; so that they see not with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their heart, nor are converted, that I should 16 heal them.' But happy are your eyes, for they see: and 17 your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye behold, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

18

When

"Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 any one heareth the word concerning my kingdom, and considereth it not, the evil one cometh, and snatcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he who 20 received seed by the way-side. And he who received seed

on rocky places, is he that heareth the word, and imme21 diately receiveth it with joy; yet hath not root in himself, but endureth a short time: and when affliction or persecution ariseth because of the word, he immediately 22 offendeth. And he who received seed among thorns, is he that heareth the word; and the anxious care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, 23 and it becometh unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground, is he that heareth the word, and considereth it; who likewise beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred fold, and some sixty, and some thirty."

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He put forth to them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed 25 in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and 26 sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when

the blade sprang up, and brought forth fruit, then ap27 peared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came near, and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field?-whence then hath it tares ?' 28 And he said unto them, ' An enemy hath done this.' Then the servants said unto him, Wilt thou therefore 29 that we go and gather them up? But he said, No; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat 30 with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 'Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to 31 burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." He put forth to them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard-seed, which 32 a man took and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but, when it is grown, it is the greatest of herbs, and becometh a tree; so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches."

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He spake to them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and mixed with three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." 34 All these things spake Jesus to the multitudes in parables; and without a parable he spake not unto them: 35 so that it was fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, " I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things, which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."

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Then Jesus sent away the multitude, and went into an house: and his disciples came near to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the 37 field." And he answered and said unto them, "Не 38 who soweth the good seed is the Son of man: and the field is the world: and the good seed are the sons of the kingdom: and the tares are the sons of the evil one: 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil*: and the

harvest is the end of the age: and the reapers are the 40 angels. As therefore the tares are gathered up, and burnt 41 in the fire; so will it be in the end of this age: the Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all who cause offences, and those 42 who commit iniquity; and will cast them into a furnace

of fire: there will be weeping, and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then will the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

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"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field; which when a man hath found, he keepeth it secret †, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, seek46 ing goodly pearls: who, when he had found one very

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costly pearl, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea, and gathering together fishes of every kind: 48 which, when it was filled, men drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the 49 bad away. So will it be in the end of the age: the angels will come forth, and will separate the wicked from 50 among the righteous, and will cast them into a furnace of fire: there will be weeping, and gnashing of teeth."

* the principle of evil personified. "Sons of the evil one" are wicked men. Such in the Old Testament are called sons of Belial, or worthlessness; i. c. worthless men. 1 Sam. i. 12; 1 Kings xxi. 10. See 2 Cor. vi. 15.

hideth it, N.

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