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, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.
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: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it 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.
The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains 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 had waited, 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 learned to catch the prey, and 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 desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by 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 set against him on every side from the provinces, and 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 ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, 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 is like a vine in thy blood, 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 for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.
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 and withered; the fire consumed them.
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 a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
