Ezekiel 19
1 “As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel
And thou, lift up a lamentation unto 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 thou hast said: What [is] thy mother? — a lioness, Among lions she hath crouched down, In the midst of young lions she hath multiplied 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 bringeth up one of her whelps, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath 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 hear of it do nations, In their pit it hath been caught, And they bring it in with chains 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.
And she seeth, that stayed — perished hath her hope, And she taketh one of her whelps, A young lion she hath made it.
6 He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.
And it goeth up and down in the midst of lions, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath 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 it knoweth his forsaken habitations, And their cities it hath laid waste, And desolate is the land and its fulness, Because of the voice 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.
And set against it do nations Round about from the provinces. And they spread out for it their net, In their pit it hath been 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 it in prison — in chains, And they bring it unto the king of Babylon, They bring it in unto bulwarks, So that its voice is not heard any more On 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 [is] as a vine in thy blood by waters planted, Fruitful and full of boughs it hath been, Because 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 it hath strong rods for sceptres of rulers, And high is its stature above thick branches, And it appeareth in its height In the multitude of its thin shoots.
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.
And it is plucked up in fury, To the earth it hath been cast, And the east wind hath dried up its fruit, Broken and withered hath been the rod of its strength, Fire hath consumed it.
13 Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
And now — it is planted in a wilderness, In a land dry and thirsty.
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 go forth doth fire from a rod of its boughs, Its fruit it hath devoured, And it hath no rod of strength — a sceptre to rule, Lamentation it [is] — and it is for a lamentation!'
