יחזקאל 19

1 ואתה שא קינה אל נשיאי ישראל

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

2 ואמרת מה אמך לביא בין אריות רבצה בתוך כפרים רבתה גוריה

and say, What was thy mother? A lioness. She couched among lions. In the midst of the young lions she nourished her whelps.

3 ותעל אחד מגריה כפיר היה וילמד לטרף טרף אדם אכל

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

4 וישמעו אליו גוים בשחתם נתפש ויבאהו בחחים אל ארץ מצרים

The nations also heard of him. He was taken in their pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

5 ותרא כי נוחלה אבדה תקותה ותקח אחד מגריה כפיר שמתהו

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 ויתהלך בתוך אריות כפיר היה וילמד לטרף טרף אדם אכל

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 וידע אלמנותיו ועריהם החריב ותשם ארץ ומלאה מקול שאגתו

And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities. And the land was desolate, and the fullness of it, because of the noise of his roaring.

8 ויתנו עליו גוים סביב ממדינות ויפרשו עליו רשתם בשחתם נתפש

Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and they spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit.

9 ויתנהו בסוגר בחחים ויבאהו אל מלך בבל יבאהו במצדות למען לא ישמע קולו עוד אל הרי ישראל

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

10 אמך כגפן בדמך על מים שתולה פריה וענפה היתה ממים רבים

Thy mother was like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters. It was fruitful and full of branches because of many waters.

11 ויהיו לה מטות עז אל שבטי משלים ותגבה קומתו על בין עבתים וירא בגבהו ברב דליתיו

And it had strong twigs for the scepters of those who bore rule. And their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

12 ותתש בחמה לארץ השלכה ורוח הקדים הוביש פריה התפרקו ויבשו מטה עזה אש אכלתהו

But it was plucked up in fury. It was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong twigs were broken off and withered. The fire consumed them.

13 ועתה שתולה במדבר בארץ ציה וצמא

And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

14 ותצא אש ממטה בדיה פריה אכלה ולא היה בה מטה עז שבט למשול קינה היא ותהי לקינה

And fire has gone out of the twigs of its branches. It has devoured its fruit, so that there is no strong twig in it to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.