And he told this parable. "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; he came in search of fruit on it but he found none.

So he said to the vinedresser, 'Here have I come for three years in search of fruit on this fig tree without finding any; cut it down, why should it take up space?'

And he told them a parable. "Look at the fig tree and indeed all the trees;

each tree is known by its fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, and grapes are not plucked from a bramble-bush.

No sound tree bears rotten fruit, nor again does a rotten tree bear sound fruit:

The axe is lying all ready at the root of the trees; any tree that is not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."