Ezekiel 19

1 “As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel

And thou, —do thou lift up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2 and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs.

And say, What a noble lioness was thy mother! among lions did she lie down, in the midst of young lions did she raise her whelps!

3 She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to tear in pieces the prey; [even] men he devoured.

4 When the nations heard of him, he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they led him away to the land of Egypt.

And when nations heard of him, he was caught in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings unto the land of Egypt.

5 When she saw that she had waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.

Now when she saw that she had long waited, [that] her hope was lost, she took another one of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

6 He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

And he went up and down in the midst of lions, he became a young lion; and he learned to tear in pieces the prey; even men he devoured.

7 He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring.

And he broke down their palaces, and their cities laid he in ruins: and then was terrified the land, with all that filled it, because of the noise of his roaring.

8 Then the nations set out against him from the provinces on every side. They spread their net over him; he was trapped in their pit.

Then set themselves the nations against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread over him their net: in their pit was he caught.

9 With hooks they caged him and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into captivity so that his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.

And they put him in a cage with nose-rings [in his nose], and they brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into strong-holds, in order that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundant waters.

Thy mother was like a vine, if I compare thee to aught, planted by the waters: fruitful and full of boughs was she by reason of many waters.

11 It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches, conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage.

And she had strong branches [fit] for the sceptres of rulers, and her stature grew up high between the thick-branched [trees], and she was seen through her height by means of the multitude of her tendrils.

12 But it was uprooted in fury, cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped off and they withered; the fire consumed them.

But she was plucked up in fury, to the ground was she cast down, and the east wind dried up her fruit: and torn off and dried up were her strong branches, a fire consumed them.

13 Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

And now is she planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

14 Fire has gone out from its main branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”

And fire is gone out of a branch of her boughs, and hath devoured her fruit, so that there is no more on her a strong branch for a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and it is become a lamentation.