Ezekiel 19
1 “And you, lift up a lamentation to princes of Israel,
“Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 and you have said: What [is] your mother? A lioness, She has crouched down among lions, She has multiplied her whelps in the midst of young lions.
and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness. She couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs.
3 And she brings up one of her whelps, He has been a young lion, And he learns to tear prey, He has devoured man.
She brought up one of her cubs. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.
4 And nations hear of him, He has been caught in their pit, And they bring him to the land of Egypt in chains.
The nations also heard of him. He was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
5 And as she waited she sees that her hope has perished, And she takes one of her whelps, She has made him a young lion.
“‘Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her cubs, and made him a young lion.
6 And he goes up and down in the midst of lions, He has been a young lion, And he learns to tear prey, He has devoured man.
He went up and down among the lions. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.
7 And he knows his forsaken habitations, And he has laid waste [to] their cities, And the land and its fullness is desolate, Because of the voice of his roaring.
He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities. The land was desolate with its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring.
8 And surrounding nations set against him from the provinces. And they spread out their net for him, He has been caught in their pit.
Then the nations attacked him on every side from the provinces. They spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit.
9 And they put him in prison—in chains, And they bring him to the king of Babylon, They bring him into bulwarks, So that his voice is not heard On mountains of Israel anymore.
They put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother, like the vine in your blood, Is being planted by waters, She was bearing fruit and full of boughs, Because of many waters.
“‘Your mother was like a vine in your blood, planted by the waters. It was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
11 And she has strong rods for scepters of rulers, And she is high in stature above—between thick branches, And it appears in its height In the multitude of its thin shoots.
It had strong branches for the scepters of those who ruled. Their stature was exalted among the thick boughs. They were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.
12 And she is plucked up in fury, She has been cast to the earth, And the east wind has dried up her fruit, [The] rod of her strength has been broken and withered, Fire has consumed it.
But it was plucked up in fury. It was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered. The fire consumed them.
13 And now she is planted in a wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land.
Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
14 And fire goes forth from a rod of her boughs, It has devoured her fruit, And she has no rod of strength—a scepter to rule, A lamentation—and she has become for a lamentation!”
Fire has gone out of its branches. It has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong branch to be a scepter to rule.’ This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.”
