My kingdom I will liken to,

A man who in his field

Sow'd good seed, and expected soon

A harvest it would yield.

But while his servants slept, there came

A wicked enemy,

And sow'd his tares among the wheat,

And then went on his way.

And when the good seed did appear

The tares began to show;

The servants wonder'd much, and said,

"Why, master, thou didst sow

"The best of seed all o'er the field,

From whence then come these tares?"

"An enemy," he said, "hath come

Upon us unawares,

"And scattered forth his evil seed;"

The servants said to him,

"Wilt thou then, that into the field

We go and gather them?"

The master answer'd them and said,

"Let both together grow,

Until the time of harvest, lest

Ye pluck the wheat also.

"And when the time of harvest comes,

The wheat shall in my barn

Be gather'd; but the tares I'll bind

And in the fire burn."

The children of the kingdom are

The good seed that is sown,

The tares that came up with the wheat

Are of the evil one.

The enemy who sow'd the tares,

Is he who fell afar;

The harvest, when the world shall end;

The angels reapers are.

The righteous shall be gather'd home

Forever with the Lord;

And as the tares are burn'd, so shall

The wicked be destroy'd.