Tatian: Diatessaron — Arabic Witness

Section XVII.

[1] ^{Edition note 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; ^{Edition note 2}but when men slept, his enemy came [3] and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. ^{Edition note 3}And when the blade sprang up [4] and brought forth fruit, there were noticed the tares also. ^{Edition note 4}And the servants of the master of the house came, and said unto him, Our lord, didst thou not sow good [5] [Arabic, p. 66] seed in thy field? whence are there tares in it? ^{Edition note 5}He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.

His servants said unto him, Wilt thou that we go [6] and separate it? ^{Edition note 6}He said unto them, Perhaps,^{Edition note 7} when ye separate the tares, ye would [7] root up with them wheat also. ^{Edition note 8}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] ^{Edition note 9}And he set forth to them another parable, and said, ^{Edition note 10}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? ^{Edition note 11}It [11] is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and planted in his field: ^{Edition note 12}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; ^{Edition note 13}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] ^{Edition note 14}And he set forth to them another parable: ^{Edition note 15}To what shall I liken the kingdom of [15] God? ^{Edition note 16}It is like the leaven which a woman took, and kneaded into three measures of flour, until the whole of it was leavened.

[16] ^{Edition note 17}And Jesus spake all that to the multitudes by way of parables, according as they [17] were able to hear. ^{Edition note 18}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^{Edition note 19} of the world.

[18] ^{Edition note 20}But he explained to his disciples privately everything.

[19] ^{Edition note 21}Then Jesus left^{Edition note 22} 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] [Arabic, p. 67] and the field. ^{Edition note 23}He answered and said unto them, He that sowed good seed is [21] the Son of man; ^{Edition note 24}and the field is the world; and the good seed are the children of the [22] kingdom; ^{Edition note 25}and the tares are the children of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed them^{Edition note 26} is Satan; and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. [23] ^{Edition note 27}And as the tares are separated and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of [24] this world. ^{Edition note 28}The Son of man shall send his angels, and separate from his kingdom [25] all things that injure, ^{Edition note 29}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. ^{Edition note 30}Then the righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whosoever hath ears that hear, let him hear.

[27] ^{Edition note 31}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] ^{Edition note 32}And again the kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a merchant seeking excellent [29] pearls; ^{Edition note 33}and when he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold everything that he had, and bought it.

[30] ^{Edition note 34}And again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast^{Edition note 35} into the sea, and [31] gathered of every kind: ^{Edition note 36}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. ^{Edition note 37}Thus shall it be in the end of the world: the angels [33] shall go forth, ^{Edition note 38}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] ^{Edition note 39}Jesus said unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They said unto [35] [Arabic, p. 68] him, Yea, our Lord. ^{Edition note 40}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] ^{Edition note 41}And when Jesus had finished all these parables, he removed thence, and came to his city; ^{Edition note 42}and he taught them in their synagogues, so that they were perplexed. [38] ^{Edition note 43}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?^{Edition note 44} [40] ^{Edition note 45}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? ^{Edition note 46}And his sisters, all of them, [42] lo, are they not all with us? ^{Edition note 47}Whence hath this man all these things? And they were in doubt concerning him. ^{Edition note 48}And Jesus knew their opinion, and said unto them, Will ye haply^{Edition note 49} 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? ^{Edition note 50}And he said, Verily I say unto you, A prophet is not received in his own city, nor among [44] his brethren: ^{Edition note 51}for a prophet is not despised, save in his own city, and among his own [45] kin, and in his own house. ^{Edition note 52}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, ^{Edition note 53}and there was a great famine in all the land; and Elijah [Arabic, p. 69] was not sent to one of them, save to Zarephath of Sidon, to a woman that was [47] a widow. ^{Edition note 54}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.^{Edition note 55} [48] ^{Edition note 56}And he was not able to do there many mighty works,^{Edition note 57} because of their unbelief; [49] except that he laid his hand upon a few of the sick, and healed them. ^{Edition note 58}And he marvelled [50] at their lack of faith. ^{Edition note 59}And when those who were in the synagogue heard, [51] they were all filled with wrath; and they rose up, ^{Edition note 60}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: ^{Edition note 61}but he passed through among them and went away.

[53] ^{Edition note 62}And he went about in the villages which were around Nazareth, and taught in their synagogues.