9 Bible Verses about Old Testament Parables

The trees, went their way, to anoint over them, a king, - and they said unto the olive tree - Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, which, in me, gods and men do honour, - and go to wave to and fro, over the trees? Then said the trees unto the fig-tree, - Come! thou reign over us.read more.
But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I leave my sweetness, and mine excellent increase, - and go to wave to and fro, over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, - Come! thou, reign over us. But the vine said unto them, Should I leave my new wine, that rejoiceth gods and men, - and go to wave to and fro, over the trees? Then said all the trees, unto the bramble, - Come, thou, to reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If, in truth, ye are about to anoint me to be king over you, come, take refuge in my shade, - but, if not, there shall come forth fire out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

So then Yahweh sent Nathan the prophet unto David, - who therefore came unto him and said to him - Two men, there were in a certain city, the one, rich, and, the other, poor. The, rich, man had flocks and herds exceeding many; whereas the, poor, man had, nothing, - save one little lamb, which he had made his own, and sustained, and it had grown up with him and with his children, all together, - of his own morsel, used it to eat, and, out of his own cup, used it to drink, and, in his own bosom, used it to lie, and it was to him, as a daughter.read more.
Now there came a traveller to the rich man, but he thought it a pity to take of his own flock, or his own herd, to make ready for the wayfarer who had come to him, - so he took the lamb of his poor neighbour, and made ready for the man who had come to him.

And Jehoash king of Israel sent unto Amaziah king of Judah, saying, A thistle that was in Lebanon, sent unto a cedar that was in Lebanon, saying - Give thy daughter to my son to wife, - and there passed by a beast of the field that was in Lebanon, and trampled down the thistle:

Let me sing, I pray you, for a well-beloved of mine, The song of my beloved concerning his vineyard: - A vineyard, had my well-beloved on a very fruitful hill; And he thoroughly digged it, And gathered out the stones thereof, And planted it with a precious vine, And built a tower in the midst thereof, Moreover also a wine-press, hewed he therein, - Then waited he that it should bring forth grapes. And it brought forth wild grapes: Now, therefore, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, And men of Judah, - Judge, I pray you, betwixt me, and my vineyard: -read more.
What could have been done further to my vineyard, That I had not done in it? Why then - When I had waited that it should bring forth grapes, Brought it forth, wild grapes? Now, therefore, I pray you, let me tell, you, what I am about to do to my vineyard, - To take away the fence thereof And it shall be eaten up, To destroy the wall thereof And it shall be trodden down; And I will make it a waste; - It shall be neither pruned nor hoed, But there shall come up briars and thorns, - And upon the clouds, will I lay a charge, That they rain thereon no rain. Surely the vineyard of Yahweh of hosts, is the house of Israel, And, the men of Judah, are the plantation in which he dearly delighted, - And he waited, For equity but lo! murderous iniquity, For the rule of right but lo the cry of the wronged.

Son of man Put thou forth a riddle And speak thou a parable,- Unto the house of Israel: So then thou shalt say, Thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, - A great eagle, with large wings of long pinion, full of plumage, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: The crown of its young twigs, plucked he off, and brought it into a land of traffic, :in a city of merchants, he t it.read more.
So he took of the seed of the land, and planted it in a field for seed,- He took it near mighty waters, Like a willow-tree, he set it. And it shot forth, and became a spreading vine of lowly stature, Its branches turning towards him, And its roots under him spread,- So it became a vine, And brought forth shoots, And sent forth boughs. And it came to pass that there was another great eagle, with large wings, and abundant plumage,- And lo! this vine, stretched its roots hungry towards him. And its branches, sent it forth unto him, That he might cause it to drink out of the beds where it was planted: In a goodly field by mighty waters, was it planted,- That it might bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, That it might become a splendid vine. Say thou, Thus saith My Lord. Yahweh, I Shall it thrive? Its roots, will he not tear up? Its fruit, will he not cut off, that it wither? All the fresh leaves it hath caused to spring forth shall wither without a strong I arm. or many people, to pull it up by its roots. Lo! therefore though it remain planted, shall it thrive? As soon as an east wind toucheth it, will it not utterly wither? On the beds where it sprang up, will it not wither?

Son of man, Two women, daughters of one mother, there were; And they became unchaste in Egypt, In their youth, became they unchaste, There, were handled their breasts, And there, were pressed their virgin bosoms. And their names were Oholah the elder And Oholibah - her sister, And they became mine and hare sons and daughters,- And as for their names, Samaria was Oholah, And Jerusalem, was Oholibah.read more.
Then became Oholah unchaste after she had become mine- And lusted after her lovers, For Assyrians, so warlike, Clothed in blue Governors and deputies, Attractive young men all of them,-Horsemen riding on horses. So sire bestowed her unchastities upon them, The choicest men of Assyria all of them,- And with whomsoever she lusted after-with all their manufactured gods:, she defiled herself. And her unchaste doings from the time she was in Egypt:, trod she not forsaken, For with her, had they lain in her youth, Yea They had pressed her virgin bosoms,- and had poured out their unchastity upon her. therefore, did I deliver her into the hand of her lovers,- into the hand of the sons of Assyria, after whom she lusted: They disclosed her shame, Her sons and her daughters:, took they away, And herself - with the sword, they slew, - Thus became she a by-word among women, when judgments, they had executed upon her. And though her sister Oholibah saw, Yet became she more corrupt in her lust tan the other,- And her unchaste doings exceeded the unchaste doings of her sister. After the sons of Assyria:, she lusted Governors and deputies so warlike. Clothed in splendid array, Horsemen, riding on horses, Attractive young men, all of them. So I saw that she defiled herself, - One way, had they both. Yet did she add, unto her unchaste doings, when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, likenesses of Chaldeans, Portrayed with vermilion: Girded with waistcloths upon their loins With overhanging high turbans upon their heads, In appearance, knights all of theme-The likeness of the sons of Babylon of Chaldea, the land of their birth. Then lusted she after them, as soon as her eyes beheld them, - And she sent messengers unto them to Chaldea. Then came in unto her the sons of Babylon into the bed of endearments, and defiled her with their unchaste doings,- And she defiled herself with them, And then was her soul torn from them. Thus disclosed she her unchaste desires, And disclosed her shame,- So my soul was torn from her, Just as my soul had been torn from her sister. Yea she multiplied her unchaste desires,-calling to mind the days of her youth, when she was unchaste in the land of Egypt; - So she lusted after their courtiers,- Whose flesh was the flesh of asses, and Whose issue was the issue of horses. Yea thou didst look about for the lewdness of thy youth,- When were pressed by the Egyptians. thy bosoms, When they handled thy youthful breasts. Therefore, O Oholibah, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Behold me! musing up thy lovers against thee, Even them from whom thy soul hath been torn,- And I will bring them against thee from every side: The sons of Babylon and all Chaldeans Pekod and Shoa and Koa, All the sons of Assyria with them, - Attractive young men Governors and deputies, all of them. Knights and men of renown, Riders on horses all of them; And they shall come upon thee - With battle-axe, chariot and wheel And with a gathered host of peoples, :Shield and buckler and helmet, will they array against thee on every side,- And I will put before them judgment, And they shall judge thee with their judgments; When I set forth my jealousy against thee, Then will they deal with thee in indignation, :Thy nose and thine ears, will they remove, And that which is left of thee, by the sword, shall fall, - They, will take away thy sons and thy daughters, And that which is left of thee, shall be devoured by the fire; And they shall strip off thy raiment,- And take away thine adorning jewels! Thus will I cause thy lewdness to cease, from thee Even thine unchastity brought from the land of Egypt,- So that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, And Egypt, shalt thou not call to mind any more. For thus saith My Lord, Yahweh, Behold me! delivering thee up, into the hand of them whom thou hatest, Into the hand of them from whom thy soul hath been torn; And they shall deal with thee in hatred And take away all thy labour, And leave thee utterly naked,- And thine unchaste shame, shall be disclosed I, with thy lewdness and unchastities, These things shall be done to thee, In that thou hast gone unchastely after the nations, Because thou hast defiled thyself with their manufactured gods. In the way of thy sister, hast thou walked, Therefore will I put her cup into thy hand. Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, The cup of thy sister, shalt thou drink, The cup deep and large, Thou shalt become a laughingstock and a derision, much doth it contain! With drunkenness and grief, shalt thou be fled,- The cup of astonishment and desolation, The cup of thy sister Samaria; Yea thou shalt drink it and drain it out And the sherds thereof, shalt thou gnaw And thy breasts, shalt thou tear out,- For, I, have spoken, Declareth My Lord. Yahweh. Therefore, Thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, Because thou hast forgotten me, and has cast me behind thy back, Thou also thyself, bear thou thy lewdness and thine unchaste doings. And Yahweh said unto me, Son of man Wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare thou unto them their abominations. For they have committed adultery. And blood, is one their hands, Yea with their manufactured gods, have they committed adultery. And even their own children whom they bare unto me, have they set apart for them to be devoured. Yet more, this, have they done to me, They have defiled my sanctuary. Ion the same day, And my sabbaths, have they profaned. Yea when they had slaughtered their children to their manufactured gods, then entered they into my sanctuary, on the same day, to profane it,- And lo! thus have they done in the midst of mine own house. Yea verily, that ye must needs send for men, ready to come in. from afar-in that a messenger was sent unto them. and to they came, For whom thou didst bathe thyself Paint thine eyes And deck thyself with ornaments. Then satest thou upon a glorious couch With a table prepared before it, - And mine incense and mine oil, didst thou set thereon. The noise of careless throng also, was with her, And besides men out of the mass of mankind, there wore brought in drunkards, out of the desert; And they put bracelets upon the hands of both women, And crowns of adorning upon their heads. Then said I of her that was worn out with adulteries, Will they now join in her unchaste doings even hers? Yet came they in unto her, as men go in unto a woman that is a harlot, - So, came they in unto Oholah, and unto Oholibah - the lewd women! But righteous men, they, shall judge them, With the judgment of adulteresses, and With the judgment of women that shed blood, - Because adulteresses, they are And blood, is on their hands.

Put thou forth therefore, against the perverse house a parable, and say unto them Thus saith My Lord, Yahweh: Sot on the caldron set it on, Moreover also pour into it water: Gather the pieces thereof into it, Every good piece thigh and shoulder, With the choice of the bones, fill it: Take of the choice of the rock, Moreover also pe of bones place under it,- Bo the pieces thereof, Yea let the bones of it seethe in the midst thereof.read more.
Wherefore, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Woe! city of bloodshed. The caldron whose scum is in it, and whose scum, hath not gone out of it: Piece by piece, bring it out, There hath fallen thereon no lot. For, her own blood, hath come to be in her midst, Upon the smooth face of the cliff, hath she set it,- She hath not poured it out on the earth, that she might cover it with dust. To bring up indignation to execute an avenging, have I set her blood upon the smooth face of the cliff, - that it may not be covered. Wherefore Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, Woe! city of bloodshed, - Even I myself, will make large the pe. Heap on the wood Kindle the fire, Consume the flesh, Yea season with spice, And let the bones be scorched. Then set it upon the live coals thereof empty, - that the copper of it may be scorched and burn. So that the impurity thereof may be annihilated within it The scum thereof be consumed, With toils, hath she wearied herself, - Since her abundant scum will not go out of her, into the fire, with her scum! In thine uncleanness, is lewdness; be- cause I purified thee and thou wast not purified, from thine uncleanness, thou shalt not be purified any more, until I have let mine indignation rest upon thee. I Yahweh, have spoken It cometh and I will perform I will not let alone, neither will I shield, Nor will I repent,- According to thy ways and according to thy doings, have they judged thee, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.

Which things, indeed, may bear another meaning; for, the same, are two covenants, - one, indeed, from Mount Sinai, into bondage, bringing forth, the which is Hagar, -

Accounting that, even from among the dead, God, was able, to raise him , - whence, even in similitude, he bare him away.