Ezekiel 19

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

Moreover do you take up a lamentation for the prince 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, Why is your mother become a whelp in the midst of lions? in the midst of lions she has multiplied 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 one of her whelps sprang forth; he became a lion, and learned to take 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.

And the nations heard a report of him; he was caught in their pit, and they brought him into the land of Egypt in chains.

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.

And she saw that he was driven away from her, [and] her hope [of him] perished, and she took another of her whelps; she made him a 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 in the midst of lions, he became a lion, and learned to take 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 prowled in his boldness and laid waste their cities, and made the land desolate, and the fullness of it, by the voice 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 upon him from the countries round about, and they spread their nets upon 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 chains and in a cage, [and] he came to the king of Babylon; and he cast him into prison, that his voice should not be heard on 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.

Your mother was as a vine and as a blossom on a pomegranate tree, planted by water: her fruit and her shoot abounded by reason of much water.

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 became a rod for a tribe of princes, and was elevated in her bulk in the midst of [other] trees, and she saw her bulk in 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 broken down in wrath, she was cast upon the ground, and the east wind dried up her choice [branches]: vengeance came upon them, and the rod of her strength was withered; fire consumed it.

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

And now they have planted her in the wilderness, in a dry land.

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 choice [boughs], and has devoured her; and there was no rod of strength in her. Her race is become a parable of lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation.