Judges 9:6-8

Contemporary English Version

⁶The leaders of Shechem, including the priests and the military officers,^[a] met at the tree next to the sacred rock^[b] in Shechem to crown Abimelech king. ⁷Jotham heard what they were doing. So he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted down to the people who were there at the meeting:

Leaders of Shechem,
listen to me,
and maybe God
will listen to you.

⁸Once the trees searched
for someone to be king;
they asked the olive tree,
“Will you be our king?”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

9.6 including the priests and the military officers: The Hebrew text has “and the Millo house,” another name for the temple of Baal Berith. It probably also served as a military fortress.
9.6 tree … rock: One ancient translation; Hebrew “propped-up sacred tree.”