⁸ One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’

⁹ But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle^(A) in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot.

Gideon’s Ephod

²² The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

²³ But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule^(A) over you.”

³ Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle^(A) with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon.^(B) Taking hold of the top of a cedar, ⁴ he broke off^(C) its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.

⁵ “‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,^{(D) 6} and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches^(E) turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.^(F)

⁷ “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.^{(G) 8} It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches,^(H) bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’

⁹ “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.^{(I) 10} It has been planted,^(J) but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?^(K)’”