Matthew 13:24-30

The Parable of the Weeds

13:24 He presented them with another parable: ¹  “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds ²  among the wheat and went away. 13:26 When ³  the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. 13:27 So the slaves ⁴  of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ 13:28 He said, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So ⁵  the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ 13:29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them. 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At ⁶  harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then ⁷  gather ⁸  the wheat into my barn.”’”

[13:24]  ¹ tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[13:25]  ² tn Grk “sowed darnel.” The Greek term ζιζάνιον (zizanion) refers to an especially undesirable weed that looks like wheat but has poisonous seeds (L&N 3.30).

[13:26]  ³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:27]  ⁴ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[13:28]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the owner’s statement.

[13:30]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[13:30]  ⁷ tn Grk “but.”

[13:30]  ⁸ tn Grk “burned, but gather.”