Ezekiel 19

1 And thou, —do thou lift up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

Moreover do you take up a lamentation for the prince of Israel,

2 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!

and say, Why is your mother become a whelp in the midst of lions? in the midst of lions she has multiplied her whelps.

3 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.

And one of her whelps sprang forth; he became a lion, and learnt to take prey, he devoured men.

4 And when nations heard of him, he was caught in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings unto the land of Egypt.

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.

5 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.

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.

6 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.

And he went up and down in the midst of lions, he became a lion, and learnt to take prey, he devoured men.

7 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.

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.

8 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.

Then the nations set upon him from the countries round about, and they spread their nets upon him: he was taken in their pit.

9 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.

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.

10 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.

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.

11 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.

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.

12 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.

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.

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

And now they have planted her in the wilderness, in a dry land.

14 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.

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.