Judges 9:7-21
7Then they told Jotham, so he went and stood on the top of aMount Gerizim and lifted his voice and called out. Thus he said to them, “Listen to me, O lords of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 8“The trees surely went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’ 9“But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness, with 1which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’ 10“Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 11“But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good produce and go to wave over the trees?’ 12“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 13“But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my new wine, which makes God and men glad, and go to wave over the trees?’ 14“Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us!’ 15“And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in 1truth 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“So now, if you have dealt in 1truth and integrity and made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with aJerubbaal and his house and 2have dealt with him according to the bountiful works of his hands— 17for my father fought for you and 1risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian; 18but you have risen against my father’s house today and have killed ahis sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, bthe son of his maidservant, king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your 1relative— 19if then you have dealt in 1truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, be glad in Abimelech, and let him also be glad in you. 20“But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the lords of Shechem and 1Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the lords of Shechem and from 2Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.” 21Then Jotham escaped and fled and went to Beer and remained there because of Abimelech his brother.