Ezekiel 19
New American Standard Bible
Song of Mourning for the Leaders of Israel
19 “As for you, take up a (A)song of mourning for the (B)leaders of Israel 2 and say,
‘[a]What was your mother?
A lioness among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
She raised her cubs.
3 When she brought up one of her cubs,
(C)He became a young lion,
And he learned to tear his prey;
He devoured people.
4 Then nations heard about him;
He was caught in their trap,
And they (D)brought him with hooks
To the land of Egypt.
5 When she saw, as she waited,
That her hope was lost,
She took [b]another of her cubs
And made (E)him a young lion.
6 And he (F)walked about among the lions,
He became a young lion;
He learned to tear his prey;
He devoured people.
7 He [c]destroyed their [d]palaces
And laid waste their cities;
And the land and its fullness were appalled
Because of the sound of his roaring.
8 Then (G)nations set against him
On every side from their provinces,
And they spread their net over him;
He was caught in their trap.
9 (H)They put him in a [e]wooden collar with hooks
And (I)brought him to the king of Babylon;
They brought him in hunting nets
So that his voice would no longer be heard
On the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was (J)like a vine in your [f]vineyard,
Planted by the waters;
It was fruitful and thick with branches
Because of abundant waters.
11 And it had [g](K)strong stems fit for scepters of rulers,
And its (L)height was raised above the clouds
So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.
12 But it was (M)uprooted in fury;
It was (N)thrown down to the ground;
And the (O)east wind dried up its fruit.
[h]Its (P)strong stem [i]was torn out
So that [j]it withered;
The fire consumed it.
13 And now it is planted in the (Q)wilderness,
In a dry and thirsty land.
14 And (R)fire has gone out from its stem;
It has consumed its shoots and fruit,
So that there is no [k]strong stem in it,
A scepter to rule.’”
This is a song of mourning, and has become a song of mourning.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 19:2 Or Why did your mother, a lioness, lie down among lions; among young lions rear her cubs?
- Ezekiel 19:5 Lit one
- Ezekiel 19:7 As in Targum; MT knew
- Ezekiel 19:7 Or widows
- Ezekiel 19:9 Or iron
- Ezekiel 19:10 As in some mss; MT blood
- Ezekiel 19:11 Lit stems of strength
- Ezekiel 19:12 Lit The stem of her strength
- Ezekiel 19:12 As in LXX; MT were
- Ezekiel 19:12 As in LXX; MT they
- Ezekiel 19:14 Lit stem of strength
Ezekiel 19
Holman Christian Standard Bible
A Lament for Israel’s Princes
19 “Now, lament for the princes of Israel(A) 2 and say:
What was your mother? A lioness!
She lay down among the lions;
she reared her cubs among the young lions.
3 She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a young lion.(B)
After he learned to tear prey,
he devoured people.
4 When the nations heard about him,
he was caught in their pit.
Then they led him away with hooks
to the land of Egypt.(C)
5 When she saw that she waited in vain,
that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.
6 He prowled among the lions,(D)
and he became a young lion.
After he learned to tear prey,
he devoured people.
7 He devastated their strongholds[a]
and destroyed their cities.
The land and everything in it shuddered
at the sound of his roaring.
8 Then the nations from the surrounding provinces
set out against him.(E)
They spread their net over him;
he was caught in their pit.
9 They put a wooden yoke on him[b] with hooks(F)
and led him away to the king of Babylon.
They brought him into the fortresses
so his roar could no longer be heard
on the mountains of Israel.(G)
10 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,[c](H)
planted by the water;
it was fruitful and full of branches(I)
because of plentiful waters.
11 It had strong branches, fit for the scepters of rulers;
its height towered among the clouds.[d]
So it was conspicuous for its height
as well as its many branches.
12 But it was uprooted in fury,(J)
thrown to the ground,
and the east wind dried up its fruit.
Its strong branches were torn off and dried up;(K)
fire consumed them.
13 Now it is planted in the wilderness,(L)
in a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire has gone out from its main branch[e]
and has devoured its fruit,
so that it no longer has a strong branch,
a scepter for ruling.(M)
This is a lament and should be used as a lament.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 19:7 Tg, Aq; MT reads knew their widows
- Ezekiel 19:9 Or put him in a cage
- Ezekiel 19:10 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss read blood
- Ezekiel 19:11 Or thick foliage
- Ezekiel 19:14 Lit from the branch of its parts
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