Ezekiel 19
1 And thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel,
Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 and thou hast said: What [is] thy mother? — a lioness, Among lions she hath crouched down, In the midst of young lions she hath multiplied her whelps.
and say: —How lay thy mother at ease, a lioness among lions! Among young lions she nourished her whelps;
3 And she bringeth up one of her whelps, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.
And she brought up one of her whelps; He became a young lion, And he learned to seize the prey; he devoured men.
4 And hear of it do nations, In their pit it hath been caught, And they bring it in with chains unto the land of Egypt.
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.
5 And she seeth, that stayed — perished hath her hope, And she taketh one of her whelps, A young lion she hath made it.
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.
6 And it goeth up and down in the midst of lions, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.
And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, And he learned to seize the prey; he devoured men.
7 And it knoweth his forsaken habitations, And their cities it hath laid waste, And desolate is the land and its fulness, Because of the voice of his roaring.
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.
8 And set against it do nations Round about from the provinces. And they spread out for it their net, In their pit it hath been caught.
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.
9 And they put it in prison — in chains, And they bring it unto the king of Babylon, They bring it in unto bulwarks, So that its voice is not heard any more On mountains of Israel.
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.
10 Thy mother [is] as a vine in thy blood by waters planted, Fruitful and full of boughs it hath been, Because of many waters.
Thy mother was like a vine planted like thyself by the waters; She was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters;
11 And it hath strong rods for sceptres of rulers, And high is its stature above thick branches, And it appeareth in its height In the multitude of its thin shoots.
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.
12 And it is plucked up in fury, To the earth it hath been cast, And the east wind hath dried up its fruit, Broken and withered hath been the rod of its strength, Fire hath consumed it.
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 And now — it is planted in a wilderness, In a land dry and thirsty.
And now she is planted in the desert, In a dry and thirsty land.
14 And go forth doth fire from a rod of its boughs, Its fruit it hath devoured, And it hath no rod of strength — a sceptre to rule, Lamentation it [is] — and it is for a lamentation!'
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.
