Do not fear, my land! Rejoice and be glad, because the Lord has accomplished great things!

But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered.

When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root, ¹  it withered.

He also said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground.

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,

But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed; ¹  its fate is to be burned.

Then she gave birth ¹  to his brother Abel. ²  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ³ 

Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and the trees of the land ¹  will not produce their fruit.

Your children ¹  will be cursed, as well as the produce of your soil, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks.

The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; it will come down on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

The clods of the torrent valley ¹  are sweet to him; behind him everybody follows in procession, and before him goes a countless throng.

the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who remains forever faithful, ¹ 

The oxen and donkeys used in plowing ¹  will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork. ² 

Yes, ¹  the Lord has this to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground, you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning; just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted, you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. ² 

I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily, he will send down his roots like a cedar of ¹  Lebanon.

These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they receive it with joy.

But the worker ¹  answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer ²  on it.

But God gives it a body just as he planned, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.

For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on ¹  it and yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God.

you must take the first of all the ground’s produce you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you, place it in a basket, and go to the place where he ¹  chooses to locate his name. ²