Ezekiel 19

¹Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

²and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her whelps.

³And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

⁴The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt.

⁵Now 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.

⁶And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

⁷And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring.

⁸Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰Thy mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

¹¹And it had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

¹²But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: its strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them.

¹³And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

¹⁴And fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

Ezekiel 19

¹“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel

²and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs.

³She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

⁴When the nations heard of him, he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they led him away to the land of Egypt.

⁵When she saw that she had waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.

⁶He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

⁷He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring.

⁸Then the nations set out against him from the provinces on every side. They spread their net over him; he was trapped in their pit.

⁹With hooks they caged him and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into captivity so that his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundant waters.

¹¹It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches, conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage.

¹²But it was uprooted in fury, cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped off and they withered; the fire consumed them.

¹³Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

¹⁴Fire has gone out from its main branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”