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: How was thy mother a lioness; among lions she couched, in the midst of the young lions she reared her whelps!

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

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

Then the nations assembled against him, he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto 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 she was disappointed, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him 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, he became a young lion; and he learned to catch the prey, he devoured 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.

And he knew their castles, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of 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.

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

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 in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; that they might bring him into strongholds, so 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 was like a vine, in thy likeness, planted by the waters; she was fruitful and full of branches by reason 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 had strong rods to be sceptres for them that bore rule; and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she was seen in her height with the multitude of her tendrils.

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 fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; her strong rods were broken off and withered, the fire consumed her.

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

And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.

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 is gone out of the rod of her branches, it hath devoured her fruit, so that there is in her no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule.' This is a lamentation, and it was for a lamentation.