“Hear me, lords of Shechem,
    and may God hear you!
⁸ One day the trees went out
    to anoint a king over themselves.
So they said to the olive tree,
    ‘Reign over us.’
⁹ But the olive tree answered them,
    ‘Must I give up my rich oil,
    whereby gods and human beings are honored,^[a]
    and go off to hold sway over the trees?’
¹⁰ Then the trees said to the fig tree,
    ‘Come; you reign over us!’
¹¹ But the fig tree answered them,
    ‘Must I give up my sweetness
    and my sweet fruit,
    and go off to hold sway over the trees?’
¹² Then the trees said to the vine,
    ‘Come you, reign over us.’
¹³ But the vine answered them,
    ‘Must I give up my wine
    that cheers gods^[b] and human beings,
    and go off to hold sway over the trees?’
¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the buckthorn,
    ‘Come; you reign over us!’
¹⁵ The buckthorn answered the trees,
    ‘If you are anointing me in good faith,
    to make me king over you,
    come, and take refuge in my shadow.
    But if not, let fire come from the buckthorn
    and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’^(A)