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19 “Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, and say,

‘What was your mother?
    A lioness.
She couched among lions,
    in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs.
She brought up one of her cubs.
    He became a young lion.
He learned to catch the prey.
    He devoured men.
The nations also heard of him.
    He was taken in their pit;
    and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

“‘Now when she saw that she had waited,
    and her hope was lost,
then she took another of her cubs,
    and made him a young lion.
He went up and down among the lions.
    He became a young lion.
He learned to catch the prey.
    He devoured men.
He knew their palaces,
    and laid waste their cities.
The land was desolate,
    with its fullness,
    because of the noise of his roaring.
Then the nations attacked him on every side from the provinces.
    They spread their net over him.
    He was taken in their pit.
They put him in a cage with hooks,
    and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They brought him into strongholds,
    so that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.

10 “‘Your mother was like a vine
    in your blood,
planted by the waters.
    It was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
11 It had strong branches for the scepters of those who ruled.
    Their stature was exalted among the thick boughs.
They were seen in their height
    with the multitude of their branches.
12 But it was plucked up in fury.
    It was cast down to the ground,
and the east wind dried up its fruit.
    Its strong branches were broken off and withered.
    The fire consumed them.
13 Now it is planted in the wilderness,
    in a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire has gone out of its branches.
    It has devoured its fruit,
    so that there is in it no strong branch to be a scepter to rule.’

This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.”

Israel Degraded

19 As for you, raise up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,(A) and say:

What a lioness was your mother
    among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
    rearing her cubs.(B)
She raised up one of her cubs;
    he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured humans.(C)
The nations heard about him;
    he was caught in their pit,
and they brought him with hooks
    to the land of Egypt.(D)
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)
He prowled among the lions;
    he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured people.(F)
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)
The nations set upon him
    from the provinces all around;
they spread their net over him;
    he was caught in their pit.(H)
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)

Footnotes

  1. 19.7 Tg: Heb his widows
  2. 19.10 Cn: Heb in your blood
  3. 19.11 Heb Its strongest stems became rulers’ scepters