9 Bible Verses about Old Testament Parables

"Once upon a time the trees went out to consecrate a king for themselves. "So they told the olive tree, "Reign over us!' But the olive tree asked them, "Should I stop producing my rich oils by which both God and men are honored and go take dominion over trees?' "So the trees told the fig tree, "Hey you! Come and reign over us!'read more.
But the fig tree asked them, "Should I leave my sweet, good fruit and go take dominion over trees?' "So the trees told the grape vine, "Hey you! Come and reign over us!' But the grape vine asked them, "Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go take dominion over trees?' "So all the trees told the bramble bush, "Hey you! Come and reign over us!' Then the bramble bush replied to the trees, "If you really are consecrating me to rule you, come and put your confidence in my shade; but if not, may fire spring out from the bramble bush and burn up the cedars of Lebanon"'

Nathan approached David and said, "There are two men in the city. One is rich and one is poor. The rich man has many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except for one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It used to share his food and drink from his own cup. It even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. A traveler arrived to visit the rich man. Because he was unwilling to take an animal from one of his own flocks or herds to prepare for the guest who had come to visit him, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to visit him."

But King Jehoash of Israel sent this message to King Amaziah of Judah: "The thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to the cedar of Lebanon: "Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' But just then a wild beast from Lebanon wandered by and trampled down the thorn bush.

I will sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: "The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He plowed its land and cleared it of stones. Then he planted it with the choicest vines, built a watchtower in the middle of it, and dug a wine vat in it; He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only wild ones." "So now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, won't you please, between me and my vineyard.read more.
What more could I do in my vineyard, that I haven't already done? When I expected it to produce good grapes, why did it yield wild ones? "Now, let me tell you, won't you please, what I'm going to do to my vineyard. "I'm going to take away its protective hedge, and it will be devoured; I'll break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I'll make it a wasteland, and it won't be pruned or cultivated. Instead, briers and thorns will grow up. I'll also issue commands to the clouds, that they drop no rain upon it." For the vineyard of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden in which he delights. He looked for justice, but saw only bloodshed; he searched for righteousness, but heard only an outcry!

"Son of Man, compose a riddle and relate a parable to Israel's house. Tell them, "This is what the Lord GOD says, "A massive eagle with gigantic wings, long pinions, and full, multi-colored plumage came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar. He plucked off the top of its shoot, brought it to a land of merchants, and set it down in a city full of traders. read more.
Then the eagle took a seed from the land and planted it in fertile ground. He planted it like a willow tree next to abundant waters. It flourished and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, and its roots spread under him to become a vine that put out shoots and spread out its branches. """All of a sudden, there was another eagle with gigantic wings and thick plumage. The vine stretched its roots hungrily toward him and spread its branches out to him in order to be watered on the terraces where it was planted. It was transplanted into good soil near abundant water, and it produced branches and bore fruit, becoming a magnificent vine."' "Tell them, "This is what the Lord GOD says, "Will it prosper? Won't he pull up its roots, and strip it bare so all its fresh foliage dries up? It won't be by great strength or by a great army that it will be uprooted. Look! Because it's a transplanted vine, won't it wither when the east wind hits it? It will surely wither in the terraces where it had started to sprout."'"

"Son of Man, here are two sisters who are daughters from the same mother. They committed sexual immorality in Egypt. They did this in their youth. There, their breasts were caressed. Their virgin breasts were fondled. The older one was named Oholah and her sister was named Oholibah. They belonged to me and gave birth to sons and daughters. Now as to their real identities, Oholah refers to Samaria and Oholibah to Jerusalem."read more.
"Oholah committed sexual immorality while she belonged to me. She lusted for Assyria's warriors, who were clothed in blue including governors and commanders. All of them were desirable young men horsemen mounted on horses. She bestowed her sexual favors on them all of them, the best of the Assyrians and with whomever she lusted for. "She defiled herself with all their idols. She never abandoned the immorality that she practiced in Egypt during her youth, where they laid down with her and fondled her virgin breasts, lavishing her with all kinds of favors. Therefore, I turned her over to the control of her lovers, that is, into the control of the Assyrians for whom she lusted. They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters, and executed her with a sword. She became an object of ridicule among other nations when they punished her." "Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was more corrupt in her lust and sexual immorality than her sister had been in her own sexual immorality. She lusted after the Assyrians governors, commanders, warriors clothed in gorgeous attire, cavalry mounted on their horses all of them desirable young men. I saw that she was defiled, because the two of them both were on the same path. "She became even more sexually immoral when she saw the images of the Chaldean men who had been carved in red on their walls. Girded with waistbands around their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looked like chariot officers, similar to the Babylonians from Chaldea, where they had been born. "She lusted after them when she saw them, so she sent messengers to summon them from Chaldea. The Babylonians came to her love nest and defiled her with their sexual immorality. As a result, she was defiled by them. Even so, she turned away from them in disgust. She displayed her immorality publicly and stripped herself naked, so I turned away in disgust from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister. "Nevertheless, she became even more sexually immoral, even reminiscing about when she was young, when she kept on practicing sexual immorality in the land of Egypt. She lusted after her paramours, whose genitals are like those of donkeys, and whose emissions are like those of horses. Think about the wickedness that you practiced when you were young, when the Egyptians fondled your breasts, the breasts of your youth." "Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD says: "Look! I'm about to stir up your lovers against you, the ones from whom you've turned away in disgust. I'm going to bring them against you from every direction the Babylonians, all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and all of the Assyrians with them. They're all desirable young men, governors, commanders, chariot officers, and famous men, all of them mounted on horses. ""They'll invade you with weapons, chariots, wagons, and a vast army. They'll set themselves in place to attack you from every direction with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I'll turn over judgment to them, and they'll punish you according to their own standards. I'll expend my jealousy on you so they'll deal with you in anger. They'll cut off your noses and your ears. Your survivors will die violently. They'll take your sons and daughters away from you, but your survivors will be incinerated. They'll strip off your clothes and confiscate your jewelry. That's how I'll put an end to your obscene conduct and sexual immorality that you kept on practicing since the day you left the land of Egypt so that you won't look in Egypt's direction or even remember it anymore.' "This is what the Lord GOD says, "I'm about to turn you over to the control of those you hate, to the control of those from whom you turned away in disgust. They'll deal with you with hatred. They'll take away your productivity, leaving you naked and defenseless, so that the nakedness of your sexual immorality will be uncovered your licentious sexual immorality. These things will happen to you because of your sexual immorality that was patterned after what the nations do. You've been defiled by their idols. You took the path of your sister, so I'll place her cup in your hand.' "This is what the Lord GOD says: "You'll drink from your sister's cup, which is both large and deep. You'll become a laughing stock and an object of derision, since the cup is so full! You'll be filled with drunkenness and grief. The cup that belongs to your sister Samaria is filled with horror and devastation, but you'll drink from it and drain it completely. As for the vessel, you'll break it to pieces and you'll tear at your breasts, for I've spoken,' declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: "Because you abandoned me and threw me behind your back, you will bear the consequences of your obscene conduct and sexual immorality.'" Then the LORD spoke to me. "Son of Man, speak out in judgment of both Oholah and Oholibah. Make their detestable practices widely known, because they've committed adultery, and blood covers their hands. They've also committed adultery with their idols, making their sons born to me to pass through the fire as an offering to them. "They've also done this to me: They defiled my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths, all at the same time! When they killed their sons as offerings to their idols, they brought them to my sanctuary and defiled it. Look what they've done with my Temple! "In addition, they sent messengers for men to come from afar. When they arrived, you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes, adorned yourself with jewelry, then sat down on an elegant bed. A table was arranged in front of it, on which you set out my incense and oil. The sound of a carefree multitude accompanied her. Men from a multitude of nations were coming including Sabeans from the wilderness, adorned with bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads. "After she had worn herself out by her adulterous behavior, I asked her, "Will they continue with their sexual immorality and with their prostitution?' They've gone to her, like men do, to have sex with a prostitute. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those licentious women. Righteous men will judge them with punishments fit for adulterers and for those who shed blood, because they're adulterers with blood on their hands."

So compose a parable for the rebellious house. Tell them, "This is what the Lord God says: "Prepare your pot for boiling! Set it in place. Fill it up with water, too. Gather together the best pieces of meat on it including the thighs and the shoulders and fill it with the choicest bones. Take the best bones from the flock, pile wood under the pot for the bones, bring it to a boil, and then cook the bones in it."'"read more.
"This is what the Lord GOD says: "How terrible it is for that blood-filled city, to the pot whose rust remains in it, whose rust won't come off. Empty it one piece at a time. Don't let a lot fall on it. Her blood was in it. She poured it out onto bare rock. She didn't pour it out on the ground, intending to cover it with dirt. In order to stir up my anger and in order to take vengeance, I set the blood on a bare rock so that it cannot be covered.' "Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: "How terrible it is for that blood-filled city I'm also going to add to my pile of kindling. Pile up the wood! Make the fire burn hot. Boil the meat! Mix the seasonings. Burn those bones to a crisp! Make the pot stand empty on the coals until its bronze glows red, its rust can be scoured off, and its dross completely removed. The pot wearies me, but its thick rust won't come off, even with fire. There is wickedness in your obscene conduct. Even though I've cleansed you, you uncleanness cannot be washed away. You cannot be cleansed again until my rage against you has subsided.' ""I, the LORD have spoken. It will happen, because I'm going to do it. I won't hold back, have compassion, or change my mind. They'll judge you according to your ways and deeds,' declares the Lord GOD."

This is being said as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. The one woman, Hagar, is from Mount Sinai, and her children are born into slavery.

Abraham was certain that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did get Isaac back in this way.