Judges 9:7-21 - Jotham's Parable

⁷ Now Jotham, on hearing of it, went to the top of Mount Gerizim, and crying out with a loud voice said to them, Give ear to me, you townsmen of Shechem, so that God may give ear to you. ⁸ One day the trees went out to make a king for themselves; and they said to the olive-tree, Be king over us. ⁹ But the olive-tree said to them, Am I to give up my wealth of oil, by which men give honour to God, and go waving over the trees? ¹⁰ Then the trees said to the fig-tree, You come and be king over us. ¹¹ But the fig-tree said to them, Am I to give up my sweet taste and my good fruit and go waving over the trees? ¹² Then the trees said to the vine, You come and be king over us. ¹³ But the vine said to them, Am I to give up my wine, which makes glad God and men, to go waving over the trees? ¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the thorn, You come and be king over us. ¹⁵ And the thorn said to the trees, If it is truly your desire to make me your king, then come and put your faith in my shade; and if not, may fire come out of the thorn, burning up the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶ So now, if you have done truly and uprightly in making Abimelech king, and if you have done well to Jerubbaal and his house in reward for the work of his hands; ¹⁷ (For my father made war for you, and put his life in danger, and made you free from the hands of Midian; ¹⁸ And you have gone against my father's family this day, and have put to death his sons, even seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his servant-wife, king over the townsmen of Shechem because he is your brother;) ¹⁹ If then you have done what is true and upright to Jerubbaal and his family this day, may you have joy in Abimelech, and may he have joy in you; ²⁰ But if not, may fire come out from Abimelech, burning up the townsmen of Shechem and Beth-millo; and may fire come out from the townsmen of Shechem and Beth-millo, for the destruction of Abimelech. ²¹ Then Jotham straight away went in flight to Beer, and was living there for fear of his brother Abimelech.