And He spoke many things to them in parables [i.e., brief stories to illustrate His teaching], saying, “once a farmer went out [to his field] to plant grain.
Then He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is similar to yeast, which a woman worked into a batch of dough [i.e., the amount was over half a bushel], until [the dough] was completely leavened [by it].”
From that time onward Jesus began to preach, saying, “You people [must] repent [i.e., change your hearts and lives], for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
For to the person who [already] has something, [more] will be given, and from the person who has [almost] nothing, even what [little] he has will be taken away from him.”
“A farmer went out [to his field] to plant grain. And as he sowed [i.e., scattering seeds by hand], some of it landed along side of the road; it was stepped on by people and [eventually] birds of the sky came and ate it.
Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat drops into the soil and dies, it remains a single grain, but if it dies, [then] it will produce many grains.