Jotham warns from Gerizim

7And they told Jotham, and he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and he lifted up his voice and called out and said to them, “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.”

8The trees once went to anoint a king over themselves, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’

9But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I stop producing my oil, by which gods and men are honored, and go to sway over the trees?’

10Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us.’

11But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I stop producing my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to sway over the trees?’

12Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come, reign over us.’

13But the vine said to them, ‘Should I stop producing my new wine, which gladdens gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?’

14Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us.’

15Then the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you are truly anointing me as king over you, come, take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’

16Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if you have dealt with him according to the recompense of his hands,

17because my father fought for you, cast his life in front of him, and delivered you from the hand of Midian.

18But you have risen up against my father's house today, and you killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and you made Abimelek, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your brother.

19And if today you have acted in truth and integrity toward Jerubbaal and toward his house, rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.

20But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.

21Then Jotham fled and escaped and went to Beer, and he lived there away from Abimelech his brother.