Ezekiel 19

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

And thou, —do thou lift up a lamentation 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 a noble lioness was thy mother! among lions did she lie down, in the midst of young lions did she raise her whelps!

3 And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and he learned to catch the 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 And the nations heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings into 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 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.

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

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 against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him; he was taken 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

And now is she 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.

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.