Diatessaron (Gospel Harmony) 16–18

English translation by Hope W. Hogg (1896); the original is not shown

[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 thee. He answered and said, This evil and adulterous generation seeketh 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] 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 goeth out of the man, departeth, and goeth about through places wherein are no waters, that he may find rest for himself; and when he findeth it not, he [8] saith, 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 goeth, and associateth 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 thee, and the breasts that nursed [12] thee. But he said unto her, Blessed is he that heareth the word of God, and keepeth 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, thy mother and thy brethren are standing without, and seek to [16] speak with thee. But he answered unto him that spake 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 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 spake 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 hath 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 spakest thou unto them in parables? He 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 hath shall be given unto, and there shall be added; and he that [34] hath not, that which he hath 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 is waxed gross, And their hearing with their ears is 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 ye, 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 ye 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 heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, the evil one cometh and snatcheth away the word that hath 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 heareth the word, and straightway receiveth [45, 46] it with joy; only, it hath 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] stumbleth quickly. And that which was sown among the thorns is he that heareth 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 becometh without fruit. And that which was sown in good ground is he that heareth my word in a pure and good heart, and understandeth it, and holdeth to it, and bringeth forth fruit with patience, and produceth either a hundredfold or sixtyfold or thirty. [49] And he said, So is the kingdom of God, like a man who casteth seed into the [50] earth, and sleepeth and riseth by night and day, and the seed groweth and cometh [51] up, whence he knoweth not. And the earth bringeth 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 ripeneth, he bringeth immediately the sickle, for the harvest hath come.

English translation by Hope W. Hogg (1896); the original is not shown

Section XVII. [1] And 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; but when men slept, his enemy came [3] and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. And when the blade sprang up [4] and brought forth fruit, there were noticed the tares also. And the servants of the master of the house came, and said unto him, Our lord, didst thou not sow good [5] seed in thy field? whence are there tares in it? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. His servants said unto him, Wilt thou that we go [6] and separate it? He said unto them, Perhaps, when ye separate the tares, ye would [7] root up with them wheat also. Leave 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] And he set forth to them another parable, and said, To what is the kingdom of [10] God like? and to what shall I liken it? and in what parable shall I set it forth? It [11] is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and planted in his field: and 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; but 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] And he set forth to them another parable: To what shall I liken the kingdom of [15] God? It is like the leaven which a woman took, and kneaded into three measures of flour, until the whole of it was leavened. [16] And Jesus spake all that to the multitudes by way of parables, according as they [17] were able to hear. And 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 foundations of the world. [18] But he explained to his disciples privately everything. [19] Then Jesus left 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] and the field. He answered and said unto them, He that sowed good seed is [21] the Son of man; and the field is the world; and the good seed are the children of the [22] kingdom; and the tares are the children of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed them is Satan; and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. [23] And as the tares are separated and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of [24] this world. The Son of man shall send his angels, and separate from his kingdom [25] all things that injure, and 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. Then the righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whosoever hath ears that hear, let him hear. [27] And 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] And again the kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a merchant seeking excellent [29] pearls; and when he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold everything that he had, and bought it. [30] And again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and [31] gathered of every kind: and 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. Thus shall it be in the end of the world: the angels [33] shall go forth, and 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] Jesus said unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They said unto [35] him, Yea, our Lord. He 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] And when Jesus had finished all these parables, he removed thence, and came to his city; and he taught them in their synagogues, so that they were perplexed. [38] And 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? [40] Is 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? And his sisters, all of them, [42] lo, are they not all with us? Whence hath this man all these things? And they were in doubt concerning him. And Jesus knew their opinion, and said unto them, Will ye haply 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? And he said, Verily I say unto you, A prophet is not received in his own city, nor among [44] his brethren: for a prophet is not despised, save in his own city, and among his own [45] kin, and in his own house. Verily 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, and there was a great famine in all the land; and Elijah was not sent to one of them, save to Zarephath of Sidon, to a woman that was [47] a widow. And many lepers were among the children of Israel in the days of Elisha the prophet; but not one of them was cleansed, save Naaman the Nabathæan. [48] And he was not able to do there many mighty works, because of their unbelief; [49] except that he laid his hand upon a few of the sick, and healed them. And he marvelled [50] at their lack of faith. And when those who were in the synagogue heard, [51] they were all filled with wrath; and they rose up, and brought him forth outside the city, and brought him to the brow of the hill upon which their city was built, that [52] they might cast him from its summit: but he passed through among them and went away. [53] And he went about in the villages which were around Nazareth, and taught in their synagogues.

English translation by Hope W. Hogg (1896); the original is not shown

Section XVIII. [1] At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and all the things which came to pass at his hand; and he marvelled, for he had obtained excellent [2] information concerning him. And some men said that John the Baptist was risen [3] from among the dead; and others said that Elijah had appeared; and others, Jeremiah; [4] and others, that a prophet of the old prophets was risen; and others said that he [5] was a prophet like one of the prophets. Herod said to his servants, This is John the Baptist, he whom I beheaded; he is risen from among the dead: therefore mighty [6] works result from him. For Herod himself had sent and taken John, and cast him into prison, for the sake of Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, whom he [7] had taken. And John said to Herod, Thou hast no authority to take the wife of thy [8] brother. And Herodias avoided him and wished to kill him; and she could not. [9] But Herod feared John, for he knew that he was a righteous man and a holy; and [10] he guarded him, and heard him much, and did, and obeyed him with gladness. And he wished to kill him; but he feared the people, for they adhered to him as the [11] prophet. And there was a celebrated day, and Herod had made a feast for his great men on the day of his anniversary, and for the officers and for the chief men [12] of Galilee. And the daughter of Herodias came in and danced in the midst of the company, and pleased Herod and those that sat with him. And the king said to the [13] damsel, Ask of me what thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, [14] Whatsoever thou shalt ask, I will give it thee, to the half of my kingdom. And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask him? She said unto her, The [15] head of John the Baptist. And immediately she came in hastily to the king, and said unto him, I desire in this hour that thou give me on a dish the head of John [16] the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; but because of the oath and the [17] guests he did not wish to refuse her. But immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded that he should bring the head of John: and he went and cut off [18] the head of John in the prison, and brought it on a dish, and delivered it to the [19] damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother. And his disciples heard, and came and took his body, and buried it. And they came and told Jesus what [20] had happened. And for this cause Herod said, I beheaded John: who [21] is this, of whom I hear these things. And he desired to see him. And Jesus, when he heard, removed thence in a boat to a waste place alone, to the other side of the sea of the Galilee of Tiberias. [22] And many saw them going, and knew them, and hastened by land from all the cities, and came thither beforehand; for they saw the signs which he was doing on the [23, 24] sick. And Jesus went up into the mountain, and sat there with his disciples. And [25] the feast of the passover of the Jews was near. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and saw great multitudes coming to him. And he was moved with compassion for them, for [26] they were like sheep that were without a shepherd. And he received them, and spake to them concerning the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. [27] And when the evening approached, his disciples came to him, and said unto [28] him, The place is desert, and the time is past; send away the multitudes of the people, that they may go to the towns and villages which are around us, and buy for [29] themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat. But he said unto them, They have [30] no need to go away; give ye them what may be eaten. They said unto him, We have not here enough. He said unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? [31, 32] And he said that proving him; and he knew what he was resolved to do. Philip said unto him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread would not suffice them after [33] every one of them hath taken a small amount. One of his disciples said unto [34] him (namely, Andrew the brother of Simon Cephas), Here is a lad having five loaves [35] of barley and two fishes: but this amount, what is it for all these? But wilt thou that we go and buy for all the people what may be eaten? for we have no more [36] than these five loaves and the two fishes. And the grass was plentiful in that place. Jesus said unto them, Arrange all the people that they may sit down on the grass, [37] fifty people in a company. And the disciples did so. And all the people sat down [38] by companies, by hundreds and fifties. Then Jesus said unto them, Bring hither [39] those five loaves and the two fishes. And when they brought him that, Jesus took the bread and the fish, and looked to heaven, and blessed, and divided, and gave to [40] his disciples to set before them; and the disciples set for the multitudes the bread [41] and the fish; and they ate, all of them, and were satisfied. And when they were satisfied, he said unto his disciples, Gather the fragments that remain over, that nothing [42] be lost. And they gathered, and filled twelve baskets with fragments, being those that remained over from those which ate of the five barley loaves and the two [43] fishes. And those people who ate were five thousand, besides the women and children. [44] And straightway he pressed his disciples to go up into the ship, and that they should go before him unto the other side to Bethsaida, while he [45] himself should send away the multitudes. And those people who saw the sign which [46] Jesus did, said, Of a truth this is a prophet who hath come into the world. And Jesus knew their purpose to come and take him, and make him a king; and he left them, and went up into the mountain alone for prayer. [47, 48] And when the nightfall was near, his disciples went down unto the sea, and sat in a boat, and came to the side of Capernaum. And the darkness came on, and Jesus [49] had not come to them. And the sea was stirred up against them by reason of a violent [50] wind that blew. And the boat was distant from the land many furlongs, and they were much damaged by the waves, and the wind was against them.