9 Bible Verses about Old Testament Parables

The trees went to anoint a king over them, and said unto the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' But the olive tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my fatness which both God and man praiseth in me, and go to be promoted over the trees?' Then said the trees to the fig tree, 'Come thou and be king over us.'read more.
And the fig tree answered them, 'Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and should go to be promoted over the trees?' Then said the trees unto the vine, 'Come thou and be king over us.' And the vine answered, 'Should I leave my wine that cheereth both God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?' Then said all the trees unto the furze-bush, 'Come thou and reign over us.' 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!'

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him and said unto him, "There were two men in one city, a rich and a poor. And the rich had exceeding great abundance of sheep and oxen. But the poor had nothing, save one little lamb which he bought and nourished up. And it grew up with him and his children, and did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup, and slept in his bosom, and was as dear unto him as his daughter.read more.
And there came a stranger unto the rich man. And he could not find in his heart to take of his own sheep nor of his beasts to dress for the stranger that was come unto him. But took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that was come to him."

But Joash king of Israel sent again to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "A thistle in Lebanon sent to a cypress tree in Lebanon, saying, 'Give thy daughter to my son to wife.' But the wild beasts in Lebanon went and trod down the thistle.

Now will I sing my beloved friend a song of his vineyard. My beloved friend hath a vineyard in a very fruitful plenteous ground. This he hedged, this he walled round about, and planted it with goodly grapes. In the midst of it builded he a tower, and made a wine press therein. And afterward when he looked that it should bring him grapes, it brought forth thorns. I show you now my cause, O ye Citizens of Jerusalem and whole Judah: Judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.read more.
What more could have been done for it, that I have not done? Wherefore than hath it given thorns, where I looked to have had grapes of it? Well, now I shall tell you how I will do with my vineyard: I will take the hedge from it, that it may perish, and break down the wall, that it may be trodden under foot. I will lay it waste, that it shall neither be twisted nor cut, but bear thorns and briers. I will also forbid the clouds, that they shall not rain upon it. As for the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts, it is the house of Israel, and whole Judah his fair planting. Of these he looked for equity, but see there is wrong; for righteousness, lo, it is but misery.

"Thou son of man, put forth a dark speaking and a parable unto the house of Israel, and say, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: There came a great Eagle with great wings; yea, with mighty long wings, full of feathers of divers colours; upon the mount of Lebanon, and took a branch from a Cedar tree, and brake off the top of his twig, and carried it into the land of Canaan, and set it in a city of merchants.read more.
He took also a branch of the land, and planted it in a fruitful ground, he brought it unto great waters, and set it as a willow tree thereby. Then did it grow, and was a great vine stock, but low by the ground: thus there came of it a vine, and it brought forth blossoms, and spread out branches. But there was another Eagle, a great one, which had great wings and many feathers: and behold, the roots of this vine had a hunger after him, and spread out his branches toward him, to water his fruits. Nevertheless it was planted upon a good ground beside great waters: so that by reason it should have brought out branches and fruit, and have been a goodly vine.' Speak thou therefore, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Shall this vine prosper? Shall not his roots be plucked out, his fruit be broken off, his green branches wither and fade away? Yea without either strong armies or many people, shall it be plucked up by the roots. Behold, it was planted: shall it prosper therefore? Shall it not be dried up and withered, yea even in the shooting out of his blossoms, as soon as the east wind bloweth?'"

"Thou son of man, there were two women, that had one mother. These, when they were young, began to play the harlots in Egypt. There were their breasts bruised, and the paps of their maidenhead destroyed. The eldest of them was called Oholah and her youngest sister Oholibah. These two were mine, and bare sons and daughters. Their names were, Samaria, and that was Oholah: and Jerusalem, that was Oholibah.read more.
As for Oholah, she began to go a whoring, when I had taken her to me. She was set on fire upon her lovers the Assyrians, which had to do with her: even the princes and lords, that were decked in costly array: fair young men, lusty riders of horses. Thus through her whoredom, she cleaved unto all the young men of Assyria: Yea she was mad upon them, and defiled herself with all their Idols. Neither ceased she from the fornication, that she used with the Egyptians: for in her youth they lay with her, they bruised the breasts of her maidenhead, and poured their whoredom upon her. Wherefore, I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, even the Assyrians, whom she so loved. These discovered her shame, took her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword: An evil name gat she of all people, and they punished her. "Her sister Oholibah saw this, and destroyed herself with inordinate love, more than she, and exceeded her sister in whoredom: she loved the Assyrians, which also lay with her: namely, the princes and great lords, that were clothed with all manner of gorgeous apparel, all lusty horsemen and fair young persons. Then I saw, that they both were defiled alike. But she increased still in whoredom: for when she saw men painted upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans set forth with fresh colors, with fair girdles about them, and goodly bonnets upon their heads, looking all like princes after the manner of the Babylonians and Chaldeans in their own land, where they be born, immediately, as soon as she saw them, she burnt in love upon them, and sent messengers for them into the land of the Chaldeans. Now when the Babylonians came to her, they lay with her, and defiled her with their whoredom, and so was she polluted with them. And when her lust was abated from them, her whoredom and shame was discovered and seen: then my heart forsook her, like as my heart was gone from her sister also. Nevertheless, she used her whoredom ever the longer, the more; and remembered the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt. She burnt in lust upon them, whose flesh was like the flesh of Asses, and their seed like the seed of horses. Thus thou hast renewed the filthiness of thy youth, when thy lovers bruised thy paps, and marred thy breasts in Egypt. "Therefore, O Oholibah, thus sayeth the LORD God: I will raise up thy lovers, with whom thou hast satisfied thy lust, against thee; and gather them together round about thee. Namely, the Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans: Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, with all the Assyrians: all young and fair lovers, princes and lords, knights and gentlemen, which be all good horsemen. These shall come upon thee with horses, chariots, and a great multitude of people: which shall be harnessed about thee on every side, with breastplates, shields and helmets. I will punish thee before them; yea, they themselves shall punish thee according to their own judgment. I will put my jealousy upon thee, so that they shall deal cruelly with thee. They shall cut off thy nose and thine ears, and the remnant shall fall through the sword. They shall carry away thy sons and daughters, and the residue shall be burnt in the fire. They shall strip thee out of thy clothes, and carry thy costly jewels away with them. Thus will I make an end of thy filthiness and whoredom, which thou hast brought out from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt turn thine eyes no more after them, and cast thy mind no more upon Egypt. For thus sayeth the LORD: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou hatest: yea, even into the hands of them with whom thou hast fulfilled thy lust. Which shall deal cruelly with thee: All thy labour shall they take with them, and leave thee naked and bare, and thus the shame of thy filthy whoredom shall come to light. All these things shall happen unto thee because of thy whoredom, which thou hast used among the Gentiles, with whose Idols thou hast defiled thyself. Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, therefore will I give thee her cup in thy hand. Thus sayeth the LORD God: Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup, how deep and far soever it be to the bottom. Thou shalt be laughed to scorn, and had as greatly in derision, as is possible. Thou shalt be full of drunkenness and sorrow, for the cup of thy sister Samaria is a cup of destruction and wasting: The same shalt thou drink, and sup it out even to the dregs. Yea, thou shalt eat up the broken pieces of it, and so tear thine own breasts: for even I have spoken it, sayeth the LORD God. Therefore thus sayeth the LORD God: Forsomuch as thou hast forgotten me, and cast me aside, so bear now thy own filthiness and whoredom." The LORD said moreover unto me, "Thou son of man, wilt thou not reprove Oholah and Oholibah? Show them their abominations: namely, that they have broken their wedlock, and stained their hands with blood: yea even with their idols have they committed adultery, and offered them their own children to be devoured, whom they have born unto me. Yea, and this have they done unto me also: they have defiled my Sanctuary in that same day, and have unhallowed my Sabbath. For when they had slain their children for their idols, they came the same day into my Sanctuary to defile it. Lo, this have they done in my house. Beside all this, thou hast sent thy messengers for men out of far countries: and when they came, thou hast bathed, trimmed and set forth thyself of the best fashion. Thou sattest upon a goodly bed, and a table spread before thee: whereupon thou hast set mine incense and mine oil. Then was there great cheer with her: and the men that were sent from far countries over the desert, unto these they gave bracelets upon their hands, and set glorious crowns upon their heads. Then thought I, 'No doubt, these will use their harlotry also with yonder old whore.' And they went into her, as unto a common harlot: Even so went they also to Oholah and Oholibah those filthy women. O ye all that love virtue and righteousness, judge them! Punish them as adulterers and murderers ought to be judged and punished. For they are breakers of wedlock, and the blood is in their hands.

Show that obstinate household a parable, and speak unto them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Get thee a pot, set it on, and pour water into it: put all the pieces together in it, all the good pieces: the loin and the shoulder, and fill it with the best bones. Take one of the best sheep, and a heap of bones withal: let it boil well, and let the bones seethe well therein.read more.
With that, said the LORD God on this manner: Woe be unto the bloody city of the pot, where upon the rustiness hangeth, and is not yet scoured away. Take out the pieces that are in it, one after another: there need no lots be cast therefore, for the blood is yet in it. Upon a plain dry stone hath she poured it, and not upon the ground, that it might be covered with dust. And therefore have I letten her pour her blood upon a plain dry stony rock, because it should not be hid, and that I might bring my wrathful indignation and vengeance upon her. Wherefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: O woe be unto that bloodthirsty city, for whom I will prepare a heap of wood. Bear thou the bones together, kindle thou the fire, seeth the flesh, let all be well sodden, that the bones may be sucked out. Moreover, set the pot empty upon the coals, that it may be warm and the metal hot: that the filth and rustiness may be consumed. But it will not go off, there is so much of it: the rustiness must be burnt out. Thy filthiness is abominable, for I would have cleansed thee, but thou wouldest not be cleansed. Thou canst not be purged from thine uncleanness, till I have poured my wrathful indignation upon thee. Even I the LORD have so devised: Yea, it is come thereto already, that I will do it. I will not go back, I will not spare, I will not be intreated: but according to thy ways and imaginations, thou shalt be punished, sayeth the LORD God.'"

Which things betoken mystery. For these women are two testaments, the one from the mount Sinai, which gendreth unto bondage, which is Hagar.

For he considered that God was able to raise up again from death. Wherefore received he him, for an example of the resurrection.