Judges 9:7–20
7 And they told Jotham, and he went up and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and ⌊he cried out loud⌋i and said to them, “Listen to me, lords of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
to anoint a king over themselves.
And they said to the olive tree,
‘Rule over us.’
‘Should I stop producing my oil,
which by me gods and men are honored,
to go sway over the trees?’
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘You, come rule over us.’
11 But the fig tree said to them,
‘Should I stop producing my sweetness,
and my good crop,
to go sway over the trees?’
12 And the trees said to the vine,
‘You, come rule over us.’
‘Should I stop producing my wine
that makes the gods and men happy,
to go sway over the trees?’
14 So all the trees said to the thornbush,
‘You, come rule over us.’
15 And the thornbush said to the trees,
‘If in good faithj you are anointing
me as king over you,
then come and take refuge in my shade;
if not, may fire go out from the thornbush
and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
16 “So then, if you have acted in good faithk and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerub-Baal and his house, and have dealt with him ⌊according to his accomplishments⌋l— 17 for my father fought and ⌊risked his life⌋m for you and delivered you from the hand of Midian; 18 but today you have risen against the house of my father and killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, a king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your relativen— 19 if you have acted in good faitho and sincerity with Jerub-Baal and his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, let a fire come out from Abimelech and let it devour the lords of Shechem and Beth-Millo; and let a fire come out from the lords of Shechem, and from Beth-Millo, and let it devour Abimelech.”