Ezekiel 19
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Israel Degraded
19 As for you, raise up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,(A) 2 and say:
What a lioness was your mother
among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
rearing her cubs.(B)
3 She raised up one of her cubs;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured humans.(C)
4 The nations heard about him;
he was caught in their pit,
and they brought him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.(D)
5 When she saw that she was thwarted,
that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.(E)
6 He prowled among the lions;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured people.(F)
7 And he ravaged their strongholds[a]
and laid waste their towns;
the land was appalled, and all in it,
at the sound of his roaring.(G)
8 The nations set upon him
from the provinces all around;
they spread their net over him;
he was caught in their pit.(H)
9 With hooks they put him in a neck collar
and brought him to the king of Babylon;
they brought him into custody,
so that his voice should be heard no more
on the mountains of Israel.(I)
10 Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard[b]
transplanted by the water,
fruitful and full of branches
from abundant water.(J)
11 Its strongest stem became
a ruler’s scepter;[c]
it towered aloft
among the clouds;
it stood out in its height
with its mass of branches.(K)
12 But it was plucked up in fury,
cast down to the ground;
the east wind dried it up;
its fruit was stripped off;
its strong stem was withered;
the fire consumed it.(L)
13 Now it is transplanted into the wilderness,
into a dry and thirsty land.(M)
14 And fire has gone out from its stem,
has consumed its branches and fruit,
so that there remains in it no strong stem,
no scepter for ruling.
This is a lamentation, and it is used as a lamentation.(N)
Ezekiel 19
Common English Bible
A mother’s sons
19 You, raise a lament for Israel’s princes. 2 Say:
What a lioness among lionesses was your mother!
She bedded down among the strong young lions and reared her cubs.
3 She singled out one of her cubs and he became a strong young lion;
he learned to tear flesh and devour humans.
4 When the nations heard about him, they caught him in their trap
and carried him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
5 When she realized that she waited in vain, her hope faded.
So she took another of her cubs and set him up as a strong young lion.
6 He went on the prowl with the other lions and became a strong young lion.
He learned to tear flesh and devour humans;
7 he ravaged[a] their widows and laid waste to their cities.
When the earth and everything in it became horrified by the sound of his raging,
8 the nations from the surrounding regions allied against him.
They cast their nets over him and caught him in their trap.
9 They put a collar on him and brought him with hooks.
They brought him with nets to the king of Babylon
so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.
The proud mother
10 Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard[b] planted beside the waters;
she bore lush fruit and foliage because of the plentiful water,
11 and she produced mighty branches, fit for rulers’ scepters.
She grew tall, and her crown went up between the clouds.
Because of her height and thick growth, she became conspicuous.
12 So she was struck down in anger,
thrown down to the ground.
The east wind dried her out and destroyed her fruit;
it sapped the branch of its strength,
and fire consumed it.
13 So now she is planted in the desert,
in a parched and thirsty land,
14 and fire has gone out from her branch and consumed her foliage and fruit,
leaving her no strong branch
or ruler’s scepter.
This is a lamentation, and it will serve as a lamentation.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 19:7 Or knew
- Ezekiel 19:10 Or in your blood
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible