Jezekiel 19
1 Moreover do you take up a lamentation for the prince of Israel,
Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel
2 and say, Why is your mother become a whelp in the midst of lions? in the midst of lions she has multiplied her whelps.
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.
3 And one of her whelps sprang forth; he became a lion, and learned to take prey, he devoured men.
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.
4 And the nations heard a report of him; he was caught in their pit, and they brought him into the land of Egypt in chains.
But when the nations heard about him, he was caught in their trap. They used hooks to drag him away to Egypt.
5 And she saw that he was driven away from her, [and] her hope [of him] perished, and she took another of her whelps; she made him a lion.
When she realized that the hope she had been waiting for was gone, she made another of her cubs into a young lion.
6 And he went up and down in the midst of lions, he became a lion, and learned to take prey, he devoured men.
He went around with the other lions, and became strong. Once he had learned how to tear up his prey, he started eating people.
7 And he prowled in his boldness and laid waste their cities, and made the land desolate, and the fullness of it, by the voice of his roaring.
He tore down their fortresses and destroyed their towns. All the people living in the country were appalled when they heard him roaring.
8 Then the nations set upon him from the countries round about, and they spread their nets upon him: he was taken in their pit.
Then the people of the countries all around attacked him. They threw their net over him; he was caught in their trap.
9 And they put him in chains and in a cage, [and] he came to the king of Babylon; and he cast him into prison, that his voice should not be heard on the mountains of Israel.
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.
10 Your mother was as a vine and as a blossom on a pomegranate tree, planted by water: her fruit and her shoot abounded by reason of much water.
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.
11 And she became a rod for a tribe of princes, and was elevated in her bulk in the midst of [other] trees, and she saw her bulk in the multitude of her branches.
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.
12 But she was broken down in wrath, she was cast upon the ground, and the east wind dried up her choice [branches]: vengeance came upon them, and the rod of her strength was withered; fire consumed it.
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.
13 And now they have planted her in the wilderness, in a dry land.
Now the vine has been replanted in the desert, in a dry and waterless land.
14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her choice [boughs], and has devoured her; and there was no rod of strength in her. Her race is become a parable of lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation.
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.
