But it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:5 Go, and say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord: Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in?6 Whereas I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt even to this day: but have walked in a tabernacle, and in a tent.7 In all the places that I have gone through with all the children of Israel, did ever I speak a word to any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?8 And now thus shalt thou speak to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: a I took thee out of the pastures from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel:9 And I have been with thee wheresoever thou hast walked, and have slain all thy enemies from before thy face: and I have made thee a great man, like unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth.10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more: neither shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did before,11 From the day that I appointed judges over my people Israel: and I will give thee rest from all thy enemies. And the Lord foretelleth to thee, that the Lord will make thee a house.12 And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.13 He shall build a house to my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and if he commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.15 But my mercy I will not take away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before my face.16 And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.
So that you ought rather to desist from the love of strife, and repent before the great day of judgment come, wherein all those of your tribes who have pierced this Christ shall mourn as I have shown has been declared by the Scriptures. And I have explained that the Lord swore, "after the order of Melchizedek," and what this prediction means; and the prophecy of Isaiah which says, "His burial is taken away from the midst," I have already said, referred to the future burying and rising again of Christ; and I have frequently remarked that this very Christ is the Judge of all the living and the dead. And Nathan likewise, speaking to David about Him, thus continued: "I will be His Father, and He shall be my Son; and my mercy shall I not take away from Him, as I did from them that went before Him; and I will establish Him in my house, and in His kingdom for ever." And Ezekiel says, "There shall be no other prince in the house but He." For He is the chosen Priest and eternal King, the Christ, inasmuch as He is the Son of God; and do not suppose that Isaiah or the other prophets speak of sacrifices of blood or libations being presented at the altar on His second advent, but of true and spiritual praises and giving of thanks.
I have made a covenant with my elect: I have sworn to David my servant:5 Thy seed will I settle for ever. And I will build up thy throne unto generation and generation.27 He shall cry out to me: Thou art my father: my God, and the support of my salvation.28 And I will make him my firstborn, high above the kings of the earth.29 I will keep my mercy for him for ever: and my covenant faithful to him.30 And I will make his seed to endure for evermore: and his throne as the days of heaven.
And again he began to teach by the sea side; and a great multitude was gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a ship, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude was upon the land by the sea side.2 And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his doctrine:3 Hear ye: Behold, the sower went out to sow.4 And whilst he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up.†5 And other some fell upon stony ground, where it had not much earth; and it shot up immediately, because it had no depth of earth.6 And when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.†7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.8 And some fell upon good ground; and brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased and yielded, one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred.9 And he said: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.10 And when he was alone, the twelve that were with him asked him the parable.11 And he said to them: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all things are done in parables:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand: lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.†13 And he saith to them: Are you ignorant of this parable? and how shall you know all parables?14 He that soweth, soweth the word.15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown, and as soon as they have heard, immediately Satan cometh and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.16 And these likewise are they that are sown on the stony ground: who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.17 And they have no root in themselves, but are only for a time: and then when tribulation and persecution ariseth for the word they are presently scandalized.18 And others there are who are sown among thorns: these are they that hear the word,19 And the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other things entering in choke the word, and it is made fruitless.20 And these are they who are sown upon the good ground, who hear the word, and receive it, and yield fruit, the one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred.
(Hom. in Matt. 44) Which we must understand was not done without a purpose, but that He might not leave any one behind Him, but have all His hearers before His face.
(ubi sup.) But further He mentions good ground, saying, And other fell on good ground. For the difference of the fruits follows the quality of the ground. But great is the love of the Sower for men, for the first He commends, and rejects not the second, and gives a place to the third.
(in Matt. Hom. 44.) And indeed the prophet has compared the teaching of the people to the planting of a vine; (Isa. 5) in this place however it is compared to sowing, to shew that obedience is now shorter and more easy, and will sooner yield fruit.
(ubi sup.) Not that He went out in space, Who is present in all space, and fills all, but in the form and economy by which He is made more near to us through the clothing of flesh. For since we were not able to go to Him, because sins impeded our path, He went out to us. But He went out, preaching in order to sow the word of piety, which He spake abundantly. Now He does not needlessly repeat the same word, when He says, A sower went out to sow, for sometimes a sower goes out that he may break up land for tillage, or to pull up weeds, or for some other work. But this one went out to sow.
(ubi sup.) Further, as a sower does not make a distinction in the ground which is beneath him, but simply and without distinction puts in the seed, so also He Himself addresses all. And to signify this, He says, And as he sowed, some Jell by the way-side.
(ubi sup.) This, however, the greater portion of the seed is not lost through the fault of the owner, but of the earth, which received it, that is, of the soul, which hears. And indeed the real husbandman, if he sowed in this way, would be rightly blamed; for he is not ignorant that rock, or the road, or thorny ground, cannot become fertile. But in spiritual things it is not so; for there it is possible that stony ground may become fertile; and that the road should not be trodden down, and that the thorns may be destroyed, for if this could not take place, he would not have sown there. By this therefore He gives to us hope of repentance. It goes on, And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
About CSB. A personal translation of the New Testament, rendered directly from the public-domain Greek in a literary style — not a scholarly critical edition, and not for liturgical or doctrinal authority. It is one reader's work, offered for enjoyment; where it matters, weigh it against an established translation. (Placeholder text — final wording to come.)