Judges 9:6-20

6All the men of Shechem and all 1Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the 2oak of the pillar which was in Shechem.

7Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of 3Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and called out. Thus he said to them, “Listen to me, O men of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 8Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’ 9But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness with 4which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’ 10Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 11But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good 5fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’ 12Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 13But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave over the trees?’ 14Finally all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 15The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in 6truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’

16“Now therefore, if you have dealt in 7truth and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with 8Jerubbaal and his house, and 9have dealt with him 10as he deserved-- 17for my father fought for you and 11risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian; 18but you have risen against my father’s house today and have killed 12his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, 13the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your 14relative-- 19if then you have dealt in 15truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and 16Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from 17Beth-millo, and consume Abimelech.”