Judges 9:7-16

7Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of 1Mount 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 2which 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 3fruit, 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 4truth 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 5truth and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with 6Jerubbaal and his house, and 7have dealt with him 8as he deserved--