Ezekiel 19

1 Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel

Take up now a song of grief for the ruler of Israel, and say,

2 with these words: “What was your mother? She was a lioness among the lions! She lay down in her place among the young lions and reared her cubs.

What was your mother? Like a she-lion among lions, stretched out among the young lions she gave food to her little ones.

3 She raised one of her cubs, and he grew up to be young lion. Once he had learned how to tear up his prey, he started eating people.

And one of her little ones came to growth under her care, and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.

4 But when the nations heard about him, he was caught in their trap. They used hooks to drag him away to Egypt.

And the nations had news of him; he was taken in the hole they had made: and, pulling him with hooks, they took him into the land of Egypt.

5 When she realized that the hope she had been waiting for was gone, she made another of her cubs into a young lion.

Now when she saw that her hope was made foolish and gone, she took another of her little ones and made him into a young lion.

6 He went around with the other lions, and became strong. Once he had learned how to tear up his prey, he started eating people.

And he went up and down among the lions and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.

7 He tore down their fortresses and destroyed their towns. All the people living in the country were appalled when they heard him roaring.

And he sent destruction on their widows and made waste their towns; and the land and everything in it became waste because of the loud sound of his voice.

8 Then the people of the countries all around attacked him. They threw their net over him; he was caught in their trap.

Then the nations came against him from the kingdoms round about: their net was stretched over him and he was taken in the hole they had made.

9 They used hooks to put him in a cage and took him to the king of Babylon. They led him away and imprisoned him so his roar wasn't heard any more in Israel's mountains.

They made him a prisoner with hooks, and took him to the king of Babylon; they put him in the strong place so that his voice might be sounding no longer on the mountains of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a vine planted in your vineyard at the waterside. It produced a lot of fruit and had many branches because it had plenty of water.

Your mother was in comparison like a vine, planted by the waters: she was fertile and full of branches because of the great waters.

11 Its branches were strong like rulers' scepters. It grew high above the tree canopy. People could see how tall and full of leaves it was.

And she had a strong rod for a rod of authority for the rulers, and it became tall among the clouds and it was seen lifted up among the number of its branches.

12 But it was uprooted in anger and thrown down on the ground. The east wind blew and dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped of leaves and they withered. Then they were burned up in the fire.

But she was uprooted in burning wrath, and made low on the earth; the east wind came, drying her up, and her branches were broken off; her strong rod became dry, the fire made a meal of it.

13 Now the vine has been replanted in the desert, in a dry and waterless land.

And now she is planted in the waste land, in a dry and unwatered country.

14 A fire blazed out from its main trunk and burned up its fruit. None of its branches that were once like a ruler's scepter are strong any more.” This is a funeral song and is to be used for mourning.

And fire has gone out from her rod, causing the destruction of her branches, so that there is no strong rod in her to be the ruler's rod of authority. This is a song of grief, and it was for a song of grief.