Ezekiel 19

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

“Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders 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, 'Who was your mother? A lioness, she lived with a lion's son; in the midst of young lions, she nurtured 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 is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion, a lion who learned to tear apart his victims, and then 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.

Then the nations heard about him. He was caught in their trap, and they brought him with hooks 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.

Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, her expectation was now gone, so she took another of her cubs and raised him to become 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.

This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; 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 seized their widows and ruined their cities. The land and its fullness were abandoned because of 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.

But the nations came against him from the surrounding provinces; they spread their nets over him. He was caught in their trap.

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 put him in a cage and then they brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him to the strongholds so that his voice would no longer 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.

Your mother was like a vine planted in your blood beside the water. it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of water.

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 that were used for rulers' scepters, and its size was exalted above the branches, and its height was seen by the greatness of its 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 the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the earth, and an eastern wind dried out its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered and fire consumed them.

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

So now it is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst.

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.

For fire went out from her large branches and consumed its fruit. There is no strong branch on it, no scepter to rule.' This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation.”