Ezekiel 19

1 And thou, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

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

2 and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps in the midst of the young lions.

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

3 And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

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

4 And the nations heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings into the land of Egypt.

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

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

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.

6 And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

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

7 And he knew their [desolate] palaces, and he laid waste their cities, so that the land was desolate, and all it contained, by the noise of his roaring.

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

8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.

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.

9 And they put him in a cage with nose-rings, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

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.

10 Thy mother was as a vine, in thy rest, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

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.

11 And it had strong rods for sceptres of them that bear rule, and its stature was exalted between the thick boughs; and it was conspicuous by its height with the multitude of its branches.

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.

12 But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit; its strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

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.

13 And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground:

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

14 and a fire is gone out of a rod of its branches, [which] hath devoured its fruit; so that it hath no strong rod to be a sceptre for ruling. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

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.”