Mark 4:4

Mark 4:4
(KJV) And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
(1611 KJV) And it came to passe as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the foules of the aire came, & deuoured it vp.
(1587 Geneva Bible) And it came to passe as he sowed, that some fell by the way side, and the foules of the heauen came, and deuoured it vp.
(1526 Tyndale) And it fortuned as he sowed that some fell by the waye syde and the fowles of the ayre came and devoured it vp.

Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) and it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it.
(1901 ASV) and it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it.
(AMP) And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
(CEB) As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it.
(CEV) While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds.

(CSB) As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

(ERV) While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed.
(ESV) And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
(GNB) As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
(HCSB) As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
(JB PHILLIPS) Listen! A man once went out to sow his seed and as he sowed, some seed fell by the roadside and the birds came and gobbled it up.
(THE MESSAGE) As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it.
(NASV) as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
(NCV) While he was planting, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
(NIRV) He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up.
(NIV) As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
(NLV) As he planted the seed, some fell by the side of the road. Birds came and ate them.
(NLT) As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.
(RSV) And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
(VOICE) As he scattered it, one seed fell along the hardened path, and a bird flapped down and snapped it up.
(NAB-Roman Catholic) And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) And as he was sowing, some [seed] fell alongside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
και εγενετο εν τω σπειρειν ο μεν επεσεν παρα την οδον και ηλθεν τα πετεινα του ουρανου και κατεφαγεν αυτο

Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
και εγενετο εν τω σπειρειν ο μεν επεσεν παρα την οδον και ηλθεν τα πετεινα και κατεφαγεν αυτο

Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following Manuscripts:
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
K 017 - Ninth century
L 019 - Seventh century
Delta 037 - Ninth century
Theta 038 - Ninth century

Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
Stephanus (1550 A.D.)
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
M 021 - Ninth century

Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Greisbach, Johann - 1805
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902
Hodges and Farstad - Majority Text 1982 as corrected in 1985

Affected Teaching
The fowls of the air represent Satan who steals the truth of the Scriptures from those who are hearing it and steals it before there is any understanding. (Mark 4:15 KJV) And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. Satan is called the prince of the power or the air and as we read in this verse that it is fowls of the air which steal the word. (Eph 2:2 KJV) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: It looks like the reason that phrase was omitted was because it was a direct reference to satanic activity concerning the dissemination of the Gospel.

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