Bible Verses About Parables

Once the trees went out to choose a king to rule them. They said to the olive tree, 'Rule over us!'

But the olive tree replied, 'Am I supposed to leave my oil, which is used to honor both God and humanity, just to go and hold sway over the trees?'

So the trees said to the fig tree, 'You, come and rule over us!'

But the fig tree replied, 'Am I supposed to leave my sweetness and my good fruit just to go and hold sway over the trees?'

So the trees said to the grapevine, 'You, come and rule over us!'

But the grapevine replied, 'Am I supposed to leave my wine, which gives cheer to God and humanity, just to go and hold sway over the trees?'

Finally, all the trees said to the thorn bush, 'You, come and rule over us!'

The thorn bush replied, 'If you really make me king over you, then come and take shelter in my shade. But if not, let fire come out of the thorn bush and burn down the cedars of the L'vanon!'

ADONAI sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, "In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor.

The rich man had vast flocks and herds;

but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest - it was like a daughter to him.

One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man's lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him."

David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, "As ADONAI lives, the man who did this deserves to die!

For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb - and also because he had no pity."

The king said to her, "What's the trouble?"She answered, "I'm a widow. After my husband died,

my two sons were out in the field; and they got into a fight with each other. There was no one to separate them, and one hit the other and killed him.

Now the whole family has come against me, your servant; they're saying, 'Hand over the one who hit his brother, so that we can put him to death for killing his brother.'They want to destroy the heir as well and thus quench my one remaining coal; then my husband will have neither name nor survivor anywhere on earth."

The king said to the woman, "Go back home; I myself will decide what to do about you."

The woman of T'koa said to the king, "My lord, king, let the guilt be on me and my father's family; the king and his throne be guiltless."

The king answered, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me; and he won't bother you any more."

"Please," she said, "let the king swear by ADONAI your God that the blood avengers won't do any more destroying, so they won't destroy my son." He said, "As ADONAI lives, not one of your son's hairs will fall to the ground."

Then the woman said, "Please allow your servant to say something else to my lord the king.""Go on," he replied.

Achiyah took hold of his new cloak that he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

Then he said to Yarov'am, "Take ten pieces for yourself! For here is what ADONAI the God of Isra'el says: 'I am going to tear the kingdom out of Shlomo's hand, and I will give ten tribes to you.

But he will keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Yerushalayim, the city I have chosen from all the tribes of Isra'el.