Ezekiel 19

1 “And as for you, take up a lament over the leaders of Israel,

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

2 and you shall say: Why did your mother, the lioness, recline among the male lions, and raise her little ones in the midst of young lions?

and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness. She couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs.

3 And she led away one of her little ones, and he became a lion. And he learned to seize prey and to consume men.

She brought up one of her cubs. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.

4 And the Gentiles heard about him, and they seized him, but not without receiving wounds. And they led him away in chains to the land of Egypt.

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

5 Then, when she had seen that she was weakened, and that her hope had perished, she took one of her little ones, and appointed him as a lion.

“‘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.

6 And he advanced among the lions, and he became a lion. And he learned to seize prey and to devour men.

He went up and down among the lions. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.

7 He learned to make widows, and to lead their citizens into the desert. And the land, with its plenitude, was made desolate by the voice of his roaring.

He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities. The land was desolate with its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring.

8 And the Gentiles came together against him, on every side, from the provinces, and they spread their net over him; by their wounds, he was captured.

Then the nations attacked him on every side from the provinces. They spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit.

9 And they put him into a cage; they led him in chains to the king of Babylon. And they cast him into a prison, so that his voice would no longer be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

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 is like a vine, in your blood, planted by the water; her fruit and her branches have increased because of many waters.

“‘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 And her strong branches were made into scepters for the rulers, and her stature was exalted among the branches. And she saw her own loftiness among the multitude of her branches.

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 she was uprooted in wrath, and cast upon the ground. And the burning wind dried up her fruit. Her robust branches withered and were dried up. A fire consumed her.

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 And now she has been transplanted into the desert, into a land impassable and dry.

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

14 And a fire has gone forth from a rod of her branches, which has consumed her fruit. And there is no strong branch in her to become a scepter for the rulers. This is a lamentation, and it shall be a lamentation.”

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.”