Ezekiel 19

1 Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel

And thou, —do thou lift 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, 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 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 tear in pieces the prey; [even] men he devoured.

4 But when the nations heard about him, he was caught in their trap. They used hooks to drag him away to 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 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 had long waited, [that] her hope was lost, she took another one 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 in the midst of lions, he became a young lion; and he learned to tear in pieces the prey; even men he devoured.

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

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 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 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 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, if I compare thee to aught, planted by the waters: fruitful and full of boughs was she 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 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 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, 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 Now the vine has been replanted in the desert, in a dry and waterless land.

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

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 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.