Ezekiel 19

1 “Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel

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

2 and say, 'Who was your mother? A lioness, she lived with a lion's son; in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.

and say: How was thy mother a lioness; among lions she couched, in the midst of the young lions she reared her whelps!

3 She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion, a lion who learned to tear apart his victims, and then he devoured men.

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

4 Then the nations heard about him. He was caught in their trap, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

Then the nations assembled against him, he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt.

5 Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, her expectation was now gone, so she took another of her cubs and raised him to become a young lion.

Now when she saw that she was disappointed, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

6 This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; he devoured men.

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

7 He seized their widows and ruined their cities. The land and its fullness were abandoned because of the sound of his roaring.

And he knew their castles, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring.

8 But the nations came against him from the surrounding provinces; they spread their nets over him. He was caught in their trap.

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

9 With hooks they put him in a cage and then they brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him to the strongholds so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; that they might bring him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a vine planted in your blood beside the water. it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of water.

Thy mother was like a vine, in thy likeness, planted by the waters; she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

11 It had strong branches that were used for rulers' scepters, and its size was exalted above the branches, and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.

And she had strong rods to be sceptres for them that bore rule; and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she was seen in her height with the multitude of her tendrils.

12 But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the earth, and an eastern wind dried out its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered and 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 off and withered, the fire consumed her.

13 So now it is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst.

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

14 For fire went out from her large branches and consumed its fruit. There is no strong branch on it, no scepter to rule.' This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation.”

And fire is gone out of the rod of her branches, it hath devoured her fruit, so that there is in her no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule.' This is a lamentation, and it was for a lamentation.