Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible
THE MESSAGE
Judges 9:10
The trees then said to Fig Tree, "You come and rule over us." But Fig Tree said to them, "Am I no longer good for making sweets, My mouthwatering sweet fruits, and to be demoted to waving over trees?"
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Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
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- CondensedParallel Translations
Christian Standard Bible®
Then the trees said to the fig tree,“Come and reign over us.”
Then the trees said to the fig tree,“Come and reign over us.”
Hebrew Names Version
The trees said to the fig tree, Come, and reign over us.
The trees said to the fig tree, Come, and reign over us.
King James Version
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
Lexham English Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You, come rule over us.'
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You, come rule over us.'
English Standard Version
And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.'
And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.'
New Century Version
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be king over us!'
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be king over us!'
New English Translation
"So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!'
"So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!'
Amplified Bible
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and reign over us!'
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and reign over us!'
New American Standard Bible
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You, come, reign over us!'
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You, come, reign over us!'
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the trees sayde to the fig tree, Come thou, and be King ouer vs.
Then the trees sayde to the fig tree, Come thou, and be King ouer vs.
Legacy Standard Bible
But these men blaspheme the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
But these men blaspheme the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
Contemporary English Version
Then they asked the fig tree, "Will you be our king?"
Then they asked the fig tree, "Will you be our king?"
Complete Jewish Bible
So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You, come and rule over us!'
So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You, come and rule over us!'
Darby Translation
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, reign over us.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.'
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.'
George Lamsa Translation
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come you, and reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come you, and reign over us.
Good News Translation
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king.'
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king.'
Literal Translation
And the trees said to the fig, You come, reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig, You come, reign over us.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde the trees vnto the fygge tre: Come thou and be kynge ouer vs.
Then sayde the trees vnto the fygge tre: Come thou and be kynge ouer vs.
American Standard Version
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
Bible in Basic English
Then the trees said to the fig-tree, You come and be king over us.
Then the trees said to the fig-tree, You come and be king over us.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the trees sayd to the figge tree: Come thou, and be kyng ouer vs.
And the trees sayd to the figge tree: Come thou, and be kyng ouer vs.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the trees said to the fig-tree: Come thou, and reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig-tree: Come thou, and reign over us.
King James Version (1611)
And the trees said to the Figge tree, Come thou, and reigne ouer vs.
And the trees said to the Figge tree, Come thou, and reigne ouer vs.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come, reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come, reign over us.
English Revised Version
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
Berean Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and reign over us.'
Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and reign over us.'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the trees seiden to the fige tree, Come thou, and take the rewme on vs.
And the trees seiden to the fige tree, Come thou, and take the rewme on vs.
Young's Literal Translation
And the trees say to the fig, Come thou, reign over us.
And the trees say to the fig, Come thou, reign over us.
Update Bible Version
And the trees said to the fig-tree, You come, and reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig-tree, You come, and reign over us.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, [and] reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, [and] reign over us.
World English Bible
The trees said to the fig tree, Come you, and reign over us.
The trees said to the fig tree, Come you, and reign over us.
New King James Version
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, "You come and reign over us!'
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, "You come and reign over us!'
New Living Translation
"Then they said to the fig tree, ‘You be our king!'
"Then they said to the fig tree, ‘You be our king!'
New Life Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and rule over us!'
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and rule over us!'
New Revised Standard
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.'
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the trees unto the fig-tree, - Come! thou reign over us.
Then said the trees unto the fig-tree, - Come! thou reign over us.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the trees said to the fig tree: Come thou and reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig tree: Come thou and reign over us.
Revised Standard Version
And the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come you, and reign over us.'
And the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come you, and reign over us.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come, reign over us!'
"Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come, reign over us!'
Contextual Overview
7When this was all told to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and shouted: Listen to me, leaders of Shechem. And let God listen to you! The trees set out one day to anoint a king for themselves. They said to Olive Tree, "Rule over us." But Olive Tree told them, "Am I no longer good for making oil That gives glory to gods and men, and to be demoted to waving over trees?" 10The trees then said to Fig Tree, "You come and rule over us." But Fig Tree said to them, "Am I no longer good for making sweets, My mouthwatering sweet fruits, and to be demoted to waving over trees?" 12The trees then said to Vine, "You come and rule over us." But Vine said to them, "Am I no longer good for making wine, Wine that cheers gods and men, and to be demoted to waving over trees?" 14All the trees then said to Tumbleweed, "You come and reign over us." But Tumbleweed said to the trees: "If you're serious about making me your king, Come and find shelter in my shade. But if not, let fire shoot from Tumbleweed and burn down the cedars of Lebanon!" 16"Now listen: Do you think you did a right and honorable thing when you made Abimelech king? Do you think you treated Jerub-Baal and his family well, did for him what he deserved? My father fought for you, risked his own life, and rescued you from Midian's tyranny, and you have, just now, betrayed him. You massacred his sons—seventy men on a single stone! You made Abimelech, the son by his maidservant, king over Shechem's leaders because he's your relative. If you think that this is an honest day's work, this way you have treated Jerub-Baal today, then enjoy Abimelech and let him enjoy you. But if not, let fire break from Abimelech and burn up the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo. And let fire break from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and burn up Abimelech." 21 And Jotham fled. He ran for his life. He went to Beer and settled down there, because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 2:30 - them
Cross-References
Genesis 8:1
Then God turned his attention to Noah and all the wild animals and farm animals with him on the ship. God caused the wind to blow and the floodwaters began to go down. The underground springs were shut off, the windows of Heaven closed and the rain quit. Inch by inch the water lowered. After 150 days the worst was over.
Then God turned his attention to Noah and all the wild animals and farm animals with him on the ship. God caused the wind to blow and the floodwaters began to go down. The underground springs were shut off, the windows of Heaven closed and the rain quit. Inch by inch the water lowered. After 150 days the worst was over.
Genesis 9:1
God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature—birds, animals, fish—will fall under your spell and be afraid of you. You're responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it—don't eat that.
God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature—birds, animals, fish—will fall under your spell and be afraid of you. You're responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it—don't eat that.
Genesis 9:5
"But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.
"But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.
Genesis 9:6
Whoever sheds human blood, by humans let his blood be shed, Because God made humans in his image reflecting God's very nature. You're here to bear fruit, reproduce, lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!"
Whoever sheds human blood, by humans let his blood be shed, Because God made humans in his image reflecting God's very nature. You're here to bear fruit, reproduce, lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!"
Psalms 145:9
God is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace.
God is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And the trees said to the fig tree,.... Another useful and fruit bearing tree, and to which also good men are sometimes compared, see Song of Solomon 2:13,
come thou, and reign over us: which Jarchi applies to Deborah, but may be better applied to one of Gideon's sons, who, though they had not a personal offer of kingly government themselves, yet it was made to them through their father, and refused, as for himself, so for them; and had it been offered to them, they would have rejected it, as Jotham seems to intimate by this parable.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
This fable and that noted in the marginal reference are the only two of the kind found in Scripture. Somewhat different are the parables of the Old Testament, 2 Samuel 12:1-4; 2 Samuel 14:5-11; 1 Kings 20:39-40.
Judges 9:9
Honour God and man - Alluding to the constant use of oil in the meat-offerings Leviticus 2:1-16, and in the holy ointment Exodus 30:24-25. In like manner, the allusion in Judges 9:13 is to the drink-offerings of wine. See Leviticus 23:13; Numbers 15:10.
Judges 9:14
The bramble - Said to be the Rhamnus Paliurus of Linnaeus, otherwise called Spina-Christi, or Christ’s Thorn, a shrub with sharp thorns. The application is obvious. The noble Gideon and his worthy sons had declined the proffered kingdom. The vile, base-born Abimelech had accepted it, and his act would turn out to the mutual ruin of himself and his subjects.
Judges 9:15
If in truth - i. e. consistently with truth, honor, and uprightness, as explained in the interpretation in Judges 9:16, Judges 9:19.
Let fire come out ... - The propriety of the image is strictly preserved, for even the thorns of the worthless bramble might kindle a flame which would burn the stately cedars to the ground. See Psalms 58:9.
Judges 9:16-20
These verses contain the interpretation of the fable. In them Jotham points out the base ingratitude of the people in raising Abimelech upon the ruin of Gideon’s house, and foretells the retribution which would fall upon both parties.
