Judges 9:7-15

⁷Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and raised his voice and called out. And he said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. ⁸Once the trees went 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 give up my fatness with which God and mankind 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 give up my sweetness and my good fruit, 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 give up my new wine, which cheers God and mankind, and go to wave over the trees?’ ¹⁴Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You, come, reign over us!’ ¹⁵And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out of the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’