Section XVII.

[1] 1130And he set forth to them another parable, and said, The kingdom of heaven is [2] like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 1131but when men slept, his enemy came [3] and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.  1132And when the blade sprang up [4] and brought forth fruit, there were noticed the tares also.  1133And the servants of the master of the house came, and said unto him, Our lord, didst thou not sow good [5] [Arabic, p. 66] seed in thy field? whence are there tares in it?  1134He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.  His servants said unto him, Wilt thou that we go [6] and separate it?  1135He said unto them, Perhaps,1136 when ye separate the tares, ye would [7] root up with them wheat also.  1137Leave them to grow both together until the harvest:  and in the time of the harvest I will say unto the reapers, Separate the tares first, and bind them in bundles to be burned with fire; and gather the wheat into my barns.

[8, 9] 1138And he set forth to them another parable, and said, 1139To what is the kingdom of [10] God like? and to what shall I liken it? and in what parable shall I set it forth?  1140It [11] is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and planted in his field:  1141and of the number of the things that are sown in the earth it is smaller than all of the things [12] which are sown, which are upon the earth; 1142but when it is grown, it is greater than all the herbs, and produceth large branches, so that the birds of heaven make their nests in its branches.

[13, 14] 1143And he set forth to them another parable:  1144To what shall I liken the kingdom of [15] God?  1145It is like the leaven which a woman took, and kneaded into three measures of flour, until the whole of it was leavened.

[16] 1146And Jesus spake all that to the multitudes by way of parables, according as they [17] were able to hear.  1147And without parables spake he not unto them; that the saying of the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled:

I will open my mouth in parables;

And I will utter secrets which were before the foundations1148 of the world.

[18] 1149But he explained to his disciples privately everything.

[19] 1150Then Jesus left1151 the multitudes, and came to the house.  And his disciples came unto him, and said unto him, Explain unto us that parable about the tares [20] [Arabic, p. 67] and the field.  1152He answered and said unto them, He that sowed good seed is [21] the Son of man; 1153and the field is the world; and the good seed are the children of the [22] kingdom; 1154and the tares are the children of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed them1155 is Satan; and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.  [23] 1156And as the tares are separated and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of [24] this world.  1157The Son of man shall send his angels, and separate from his kingdom [25] all things that injure, 1158and all the doers of iniquity, and they shall cast them into the [26] furnace of fire:  and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  1159Then the righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  Whosoever hath ears that hear, let him hear.

[27] 1160And again the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hid in a field:  that which a man found and hid; and, for his pleasure in it, went and sold all that he had, and bought that field.

[28] 1161And again the kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a merchant seeking excellent [29] pearls; 1162and when he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold everything that he had, and bought it.

[30] 1163And again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast1164 into the sea, and [31] gathered of every kind:  1165and when it was filled, they drew it up on to the shore of the sea, and sat down to select; and the good of them they threw into the vessels, [32] and the bad they threw outside.  1166Thus shall it be in the end of the world:  the angels [33] shall go forth, 1167and separate the wicked from among the good, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire:  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[34] 1168Jesus said unto them, Have ye understood all these things?  They said unto [35] [Arabic, p. 68] him, Yea, our Lord.  1169He said unto them, Therefore every scribe that becometh a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a householder, who bringeth out of his treasures the new and the old.

[36, 37] 1170And when Jesus had finished all these parables, he removed thence, and came to his city; 1171and he taught them in their synagogues, so that they were perplexed.  [38] 1172And when the sabbath came, Jesus began to teach in the synagogue; and many of [39] those that heard marvelled, and said, Whence came these things to this man?  And many envied him and gave no heed to him, but said, What is this wisdom that is given to this man, that there should happen at his hands such as these mighty works?1173  [40] 1174Is not this a carpenter, son of a carpenter? and is not his mother called Mary? and [41] his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?  1175And his sisters, all of them, [42] lo, are they not all with us?  1176Whence hath this man all these things?  And they were in doubt concerning him.  1177And Jesus knew their opinion, and said unto them, Will ye haply1178 say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal first thyself:  and all that [43] we have heard that thou didst in Capernaum, do here also in thine own city?  1179And he said, Verily I say unto you, A prophet is not received in his own city, nor among [44] his brethren:  1180for a prophet is not despised, save in his own city, and among his own [45] kin, and in his own house.  1181Verily I say unto you, In the days of Elijah the prophet, there were many widows among the children of Israel, when the heaven held back [46] three years and six months,