Ezekiel 19
1 And thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel,
[Yahweh said to me, “Ezekiel], sing a sad funeral [a which will be a parable] [two of the] kings 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.
Say [to the Israeli people], ‘[It is as though] [MET] your mother was a brave female lion who raised her cubs among [other] lions.
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.
She taught one of them to [for other animals to kill], and he [even] learned [kill and] eat people.
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.
[When people from other] nations heard about him, they trapped him in a pit. Then they used hooks to drag him to 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.
His mother waited for him [to return], but [soon] she stopped hoping/expecting [that he would return]. So she raised another cub who [also] became very fierce.
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.
He hunted along with [other] [for animals to kill], and he even learned [kill and] eat people.
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 destroyed forts, and he ruined cities. When he roared [loudly], everyone was terrified.
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.
So [people of other] nations planned to kill him, and men came from many places to spread out a net for him, and they caught him in a trap.
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.
They tied him with chains and took him to Babylonia. And [there] he was locked in a prison, with the result that [no one on] the hills of Israel ever heard him roar again.’ [Also, say to the Israeli people, ]
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.
‘[It is as though] [SIM] your mother was a grapevine that was planted along a stream. There was plenty of water, so it had lots of branches and produced [a lot of] grapes.
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.
That grapevine grew and became taller than all the nearby trees; [everyone could] see that it was very strong and healthy. And those branches were good for making scepters that symbolize the power/ [of a king].
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.
[Yahweh] became very angry, so he pulled up the vine by its roots and threw it on the ground, where the [very hot] winds from the desert dried up all its fruit. The strong branches wilted and were burned in a fire.
13 And now — it is planted in a wilderness, In a land dry and thirsty.
Now that vine has been planted in a hot, dry desert.
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!'
A fire started to burn its stem, and then started to burn the branches and burned all the grapes. [Now] not [even] one strong branch remains; they will never become scepters for a king.’ That funeral song must be sung very sadly.”
