Ezekiel 19

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

“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel

2 and say: —How lay thy mother at ease, a lioness among lions! Among young lions she nourished her whelps;

and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs.

3 And she brought up one of her whelps; He became a young lion, And he learned to seize the prey; he devoured men.

She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

4 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.

When the nations heard of him, he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they led him away to the land of Egypt.

5 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.

When she saw that she had waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.

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

He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

7 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.

He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring.

8 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.

Then the nations set out against him from the provinces on every side. They spread their net over him; he was trapped in their pit.

9 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.

With hooks they caged him and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into captivity so that his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.

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

Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundant waters.

11 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.

It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches, conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage.

12 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.

But it was uprooted in fury, cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped off and they withered; the fire consumed them.

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

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

14 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.

Fire has gone out from its main branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”