²⁴ He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while his people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel in the midst of the wheat and went away. ²⁶So when the ⌞wheat⌟ sprouted and yielded grain, then the darnel appeared also. ²⁷So the slaves of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have darnel?’ ²⁸And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹But he said, “No, lest when you gather the darnel you uproot the wheat together with it. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the season of the harvest I will tell the reapers, “First gather the darnel and tie it into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my storehouse.” ’ ”

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and came into the house, and his disciples came to him saying, “Explain the parable of the darnel in the field to us.” ³⁷So he answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸and the field is the world. And the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one. ³⁹And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰Thus just as the darnel is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds, ⁴²and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear!