Then He told them this story: "A man had a fig tree planted by his vineyard, and he kept going and looking for figs on it, but did not find any.

So he said to the vine-dresser, 'Look here! for three years I have been coming to look for figs on this fig tree, and have not found any. Cut it down. Why waste the ground with it?'

Then He told them a story: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees.

For every tree is known by its fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or gather grapes from a bramble-bush.

"For there never is a healthy tree that bears poor fruit, nor a sickly tree that bears good fruit.

Now the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Every tree, then, that fails to bear good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire."