Judges 9:8-15

8 aThe trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, bReign over us.’ 9But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’ 10And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 11But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ 12And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 13But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that ccheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’ 14Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 15And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and dtake refuge in my shade, but if not, elet fire come out of the bramble and devour fthe cedars of Lebanon.’

Judges 14:12-19

12And Samson said to them, g“Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within hthe seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty ichanges of clothes, 13but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.” 14And he said to them,

“Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
And in three days they could not solve the riddle.

15On the fourth
Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew seventh
day they said to Samson’s wife, kEntice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, llest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?”
16And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, m“You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?” 17She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because nshe pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. 18And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,

“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
And he said to them,

If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.”
19 oAnd the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to pAshkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house.

2 Samuel 12:1-4

Nathan Rebukes David

1And the Lord sent qNathan to David. He came to him and said to him, r“There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,
Hebrew bosom; also verse 8
and it was like a daughter to him.
4Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

Ezekiel 20:49

49Then I said, tAh, Lord God! They are saying of me, u‘Is he not a maker of parables?’”

Hosea 12:10

10 vI spoke to the prophets;
it was I who multiplied wvisions,
and through the prophets gave parables.

Matthew 13:13-14

13This is why I speak to them in parables, because xseeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, ynor do they understand. 14Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

z“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

Matthew 13:35

35This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
Some manuscripts Isaiah the prophet


ab“I will open my mouth in parables;
acI will utter what has been hidden adsince the foundation of the world.”
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