Ezekiel 19

1 "Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

Thou. therefore take up a dirge, for the prince of Israel;

2 and say, 'What was your mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her cubs.

and thou shalt say— How was thy mother a lioness, Between lions, she lay down, - In the midst of young lions, She nourished her whelps;

3 She brought up one of her cubs: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

And she reared up one of her whelps— A young lion, he became, And he learned to rend prey. Men, he devoured.

4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

Then nations heard of him. In their pit, was he caught, — So they brought him with hooks. Into the land of Egypt.

5 "'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.

And she saw she had waited Lost was her hope, Then took she another of her whelps. A young lion, she made him.

6 He went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

Yea he went to and fro amidst lions A young lion, he became, - And he learned to rend prey. Men, he devoured;

7 He devastated their strongholds, and destroyed their cities; and the land was desolate, and its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring.

And he injured his widows, And their cities, laid waste, - And deserted was the land and its fulness, At the noise of his roaring.

8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.

Then set upon him the nations round about. From the provinces, - And spread over him their net In their pit, was he caught;

9 They put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.

And they put him in a cage with hooks, And brought him to Babylon’s king, — They brought him into strong-holds, That his noise might be heard no more Among the mountains of Israel.

10 "'Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

Thy mother [was] like a vine of thy vineyard, By waters, was planted, — Fruitful and full of branches, she became By reason of waters abundant;

11 It had strong rods for the scepters of those who bore rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

And they served her as staves of power For the sceptres of rulers, And high became the stature thereof With its interwoven foliage, - And it was seen by its height, By its multitude of branches.

12 But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: its strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them.

Then was she uprooted in indignation To the ground, was she cast, And an east wind, dried up her fruit, —Broken off and withered were her staves of power, A fire, devoured them.

13 Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

Now, therefore, is she planted in a desert, -In a land parched and dry;

14 Fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a scepter to rule.' This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation."

And there hath gone forth a fire out of her staves of rods. Her fruit, hath it devoured, And there is in her no staff of power. As a sceptre to bear rule. A dirge, it is, and hath been made a dirge.