Ezekiel 19

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

Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes 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: —How lay thy mother at ease, a lioness among lions! Among young lions she nourished 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 she brought up one of her whelps; He became a young lion, And he learned to seize the 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 when the nations heard of him, he was taken in their pit, And they brought him with nose-rings to the land of Egypt.

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 when she saw that she waited in vain, and that her hope was lost, She took another of her whelps, and she made him a young 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 among the lions; he became a young lion, And he learned to seize the 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.

He knew their widows, and laid waste their cities, And the land was desolate, and all that was therein, before 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 themselves against him on every side from the provinces, And spread their net over 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 with nose rings into a cage, And carried him to the king of Babylon. And they carried him to a stronghold, That his voice might be heard no more Upon 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.

Thy mother was like a vine planted like thyself by the waters; She was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters;

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.

She had strong rods for sceptres of rulers, And her stature was high among the thick branches, So that she was conspicuous in her height, And 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 plucked up in fury, She was cast down to the ground, And the east wind dried up her fruit. Her strong rods were broken and withered; The fire consumed them.

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

And now she is planted in the desert, In a dry and thirsty 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 a fire is gone forth out of a rod of her branches, Which hath devoured her fruit, So that she hath no strong rod for a ruler's sceptre. This is a lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation.