Judges 9:7–15

⁷Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of ^aMount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and called out. Thus he said to them, “Listen to me, O men of Shechem, that God may listen to you.

⁸“Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’

⁹“But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness with ¹which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’

¹⁰“Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us!’

¹¹“But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good ¹fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’

¹²“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’

¹³“But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave over the trees?’

¹⁴“Finally all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us!’

¹⁵“The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in ¹truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’