Matthew 13:13
Matthew 13:11-15 The Message (MSG)
He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again: Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing. The people are stupid! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won’t have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won’t have to look, so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.
Matthew 13:13 King James Version (KJV)
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Matthew 13:13 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Matthew 13:13 New Century Version (NCV)
This is why I use stories to teach the people: They see, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand.
Matthew 13:13 American Standard Version (ASV)
Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Matthew 13:13 New International Version (NIV)
This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
Matthew 13:13 New King James Version (NKJV)
Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Matthew 13:13 Amplified Bible (AMP)
This is the reason I speak to the crowds in parables: because while [having the power of] seeing they do not see, and while [having the power of] hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand and grasp [spiritual things].
Matthew 13:13 New Living Translation (NLT)
That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.