Judges 9:7-20 And they told it to Yotham; and he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizzim, and he lifted up his voice, and cried; and he said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, so that God may hearken unto you.

Leeser⁽ⁱ⁾ ⁷ And they told it to Yotham; and he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizzim, and he lifted up his voice, and cried; and he said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, so that God may hearken unto you. ⁸ The trees went once forth to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, Reign thou over us. ⁹ But the olive-tree said unto them, Should I give up my fatness, wherewith through me they honor God and men, and shall I go to be promoted over the trees! ¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, reign over us. ¹¹ But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I give up my sweetness, and my good productiveness, and go to be promoted over the trees? ¹² Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, reign over us. ¹³ But the vine said unto them, Should I give up my fresh wine, which rejoiceth God and men, and go to be promoted over the trees! ¹⁴ Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, reign over us. ¹⁵ And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me as king over you, then come seek protection in my shadow; and if not, then let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of the Lebanon. ¹⁶ And now, if ye have acted in truth and sincerity, when ye made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Yerubba’al and his house, and have done unto him according to the merit of his hands; ¹⁷ (In that my father fought for you, and cast his life far away, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; ¹⁸ While ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy men, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) ¹⁹ If ye have thus acted in truth and sincerity with Yerubba’al and with his house this day: then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. ²⁰ But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from Beth-millo, and devour Abimelech.