Ezekiel 19
1 Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel
Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
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.
And say: Why did thy mother the lioness lie down among the lions, and bring up her whelps in the midst of young lions?
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 she brought out one of her whelps, and he became a lion: and he learned to catch the prey, and to devour men.
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 heard of him, and took him, but not without receiving wounds: and they brought him in chains 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.
But she seeing herself weakened, and that her hope was lost, took one of her young lions, and set him up for a 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 lion: and he learned to catch the prey, and to devour men.
7 He tore down their fortresses and destroyed their towns. All the people living in the country were appalled when they heard him roaring.
He learned to make widows, and to lay waste their cities: and the land became desolate, and the fulness thereof by the noise of his roaring.
8 Then the people of the countries all around attacked him. They threw their net over him; he was caught in their trap.
And the nations Game together against him on every side out of the provinces, and they spread their net over him, in their wounds he was taken.
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.
And they put him into a cage, they brought him in chains to the king of Babylon: and they cast him into prison, that his voice should no more be heard upon 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.
Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood planted by the water: her fruit and her branches have grown out of many 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 hath strong rods to make sceptres for them that bear rule, and her stature was exalted among the branches: and she saw her height in the multitude of her 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 plucked up in wrath, and cast on the ground, and the burning wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods are withered, and dried up: the fire hath devoured her.
13 Now the vine has been replanted in the desert, in a dry and waterless land.
And now she is transplanted into the desert, in a land not passable, and dry.
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 a fire is gone out from a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit: so that she now hath no strong rod, to be a sceptre of rulers. This is a lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation.
