1 Then answered certain of the scribes and Pharisees, that they might tempt him, 2 and said, Teacher, we desire to see a sign from you. He answered and said, This evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; and it shall not be given a sign, 3 except the sign of Jonah the prophet. And as Jonah was a sign to the inhabitants 4 of Nineveh, so shall the Son of man also be to this generation. 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. The queen of the south shall rise in the judgement with the people of this generation, and condemn 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. 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. The unclean spirit, when he goes out of the man, departs, and goes about through places wherein are no waters, that he may find rest for himself; and when he finds it not, he 8 says, I will return to my house whence I came out. And if he come and find it 9 adorned and set in order, then he goes, and associates 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. Thus shall it be unto this evil generation.
11 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 you, and the breasts that nursed 12 you. But he said unto her, Blessed is he that hears the word of God, and keeps it.
13 And while he was speaking unto the multitude, there came unto him his mother 14 and his brethren, and sought to speak with him; and they were not able, because of 15 the multitude; and they stood without and sent, calling him unto them. A man said unto him, Behold, your mother and your brethren are standing without, and seek to 16 speak with you. But he answered unto him that spoke unto him, Who is my 17 mother? And who are my brethren? And he beckoned with his hand, stretching it out towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother! And behold, my brethren! 18 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 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 twelve with him, 20 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, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who were ministering to them of their substance.
22 And after that, Jesus went out of the house, and sat on the sea shore. 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. And he spoke to them much in parables, and said, The sower 25 went forth to sow: and when he sowed, some fell on the beaten highway; and it was 26 trodden upon, and the birds ate it. 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: and when the sun rose, it withered; and because it had no root, it dried 28 up. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it; 29 and it yielded no fruit. And other fell into excellent and good ground; and it came up, and grew, and brought forth fruit, some thirty, and some sixty, and some 30 a hundred. And when he said that, he cried, He that has ears that hear, let him 31 hear. And when they were alone, his disciples came, and asked him, and said unto 32 him, What is this parable? And why did you speak to them in parables? 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. He that has shall be given unto, and there shall be added; and he that 34 has not, that which he has shall be taken from him also. For this cause therefore I speak unto them in parables; because they see, and see not; and hear, and hear 35 not, nor understand. 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 The heart of this people has grown gross,
And their hearing with their ears has 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 But you, blessed are your eyes, which see; and your ears, which hear. Blessed 39 are the eyes which see what ye see. 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. When ye know not this parable, how shall you know all parables? 41, 42 Hear ye the parable of the sower. The sower which sowed, sowed the word 43 of God. Every one who hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, the evil one comes and snatches away the word that has been sown in his 44 heart: and this is that which was sown on the middle of the highway. But that which was sown on the rocks is he that hears the word, and straightway receives 45, 46 [Arabic, p. 65] it with joy; only, it has no root in his soul, but his belief in it is for a time; and whenever there is distress or persecution because of a word, he 47 stumbles quickly. And that which was sown among the thorns is he that hears the word; 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 becomes without fruit. And that which was sown in good ground is he that hears my word in a pure and good heart, and understands it, and holds to it, and brings forth fruit with patience, and produces either a hundredfold or sixtyfold or thirty.
49 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, like a man who casts seed into the 50 earth, and sleeps and rises by night and day, and the seed grows and comes 51 up, whence he knows not. And the earth brings it to the fruit; and first it 52 will be blade, and after it ear, and at last perfect wheat in the ear: and whenever the fruit ripens, he brings immediately the sickle, for the harvest has come.
Source: The Diatessaron (New Advent)