Judges 9:7–15

JOTHAM’S PARABLE

⁷When they told Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim,^e raised his voice, and called to them:

Listen to me, citizens of Shechem,

and may God listen to you:

⁸The trees decided

to anoint a king over themselves.

They said to the olive tree, “Reign over us.”

⁹But the olive tree said to them,

“Should I stop giving my oil

that people use to honor both God and men,

and rule over the trees?”

¹⁰Then the trees said to the fig tree,

“Come and reign over us.”

¹¹But the fig tree said to them,

“Should I stop giving

my sweetness and my good fruit,

and rule over trees?”

¹²Later, the trees said to the grapevine,

“Come and reign over us.”

¹³But the grapevine said to them,

“Should I stop giving my wine

that cheers both God and man,

and rule over trees?”

¹⁴Finally, all the trees said to the bramble,

“Come and reign over us.”

¹⁵The bramble said to the trees,

“If you really are anointing me

as king over you,

come and find refuge in my shade.

But if not,

may fire come out from the bramble

and consume the cedars of Lebanon.”