Jotham’s Fable

⁶All the citizens of Shechem and all Beth-millo convened, and they proclaimed Abimelech king at the terebinth of the pillar at Shechem. ⁷When Jotham was informed, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and called out to them in a loud voice. “Citizens of Shechem!” he cried, “Listen to me, that God may listen to you.

⁸“Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ ⁹But the olive tree replied, ‘Have I, through whom God and men are honored, stopped yielding my rich oil, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ ¹⁰So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹¹But the fig tree replied, ‘Have I stopped yielding my sweetness, my delicious fruit, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ ¹²So the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹³But the vine replied, ‘Have I stopped yielding my new wine, which gladdens God and men, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ ¹⁴Then all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹⁵And the thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you are acting honorably in anointing me king over you, come and take shelter in my shade; but if not, may fire issue from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

¹⁶“Now then, if you acted honorably and loyally in making Abimelech king, if you have done right by Jerubbaal and his house and have requited him according to his deserts—¹⁷considering that my father fought for you and saved you from the Midianites at the risk of his life, ¹⁸and now you have turned on my father’s household, killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and set up Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, as king over the citizens of Shechem just because he is your kinsman—¹⁹if, I say, you have this day acted honorably and loyally toward Jerubbaal and his house, have joy in Abimelech and may he likewise have joy in you. ²⁰But if not, may fire issue from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire issue from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech!”