And the furze bush said unto the trees, "If it will be true that ye will anoint me king over you, then come and rest under my shadow, and ye shall see that a fire shall come out of the furze-bush and waste the cypress trees of Lebanon!'

The trees set out
to anoint a king over themselves.
They said to the olive tree, “Reign over us.”

But the olive tree said to them,
“Should I stop giving my oil
that honors both God and man,
and rule over the trees?”

Then the trees said to the fig tree,
“Come and reign over us.”

But the fig tree said to them,
“Should I stop giving
my sweetness and my good fruit,
and rule over trees?”

Later, the trees said to the grapevine,
“Come and reign over us.”

But the grapevine said to them,
“Should I stop giving my wine
that cheers both God and man,
and rule over trees?”

Finally, all the trees said to the bramble,
“Come and reign over us.”

So Abimelech and all the people who were with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his ax in his hand and cut a branch from the trees. He picked up the branch, put it on his shoulder, and said to the people who were with him, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.”

And the sons of the Kenite, father-in-law of Moses, went up from the city of palm-trees with the sons of Judah to the desert of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and he went up and dwelt with the people:

And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees.