Ezekiel 19

1 And thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel,

Moreover do thou take up a lamentation for the prince of Israel,

2 and thou hast said: What [is] thy mother? — a lioness, Among lions she hath crouched down, In the midst of young lions she hath multiplied her whelps.

and say, Why is thy mother become a whelp in the midst of lions? in the midst of lions she has multiplied her whelps.

3 And she bringeth up one of her whelps, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.

And one of her whelps sprang forth; he became a lion, and learned to take prey, he devoured men.

4 And hear of it do nations, In their pit it hath been caught, And they bring it in with chains unto the land of Egypt.

And the nations heard a report of him; he was caught in their pit, and they brought him into the land of Egypt in chains.

5 And she seeth, that stayed — perished hath her hope, And she taketh one of her whelps, A young lion she hath made it.

And she saw that he was driven away from her, [and] her hope [of him] perished, and she took another of her whelps; she made him a lion.

6 And it goeth up and down in the midst of lions, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.

And he went up and down in the midst of lions, he became a lion, and learned to take prey, he devoured men.

7 And it knoweth his forsaken habitations, And their cities it hath laid waste, And desolate is the land and its fulness, Because of the voice of his roaring.

And he prowled in his boldness and laid waste their cities, and made the land desolate, and the fullness of it, by the voice of his roaring.

8 And set against it do nations Round about from the provinces. And they spread out for it their net, In their pit it hath been caught.

Then the nations set upon him from the countries round about, and they spread their nets upon him: he was taken in their pit.

9 And they put it in prison — in chains, And they bring it unto the king of Babylon, They bring it in unto bulwarks, So that its voice is not heard any more On mountains of Israel.

And they put him in chains and in a cage, [and] he came to the king of Babylon; and he cast him into prison, that his voice should not be heard on the mountains of Israel.

10 Thy mother [is] as a vine in thy blood by waters planted, Fruitful and full of boughs it hath been, Because of many waters.

Thy mother was as a vine and as a blossom on a pomegranate tree, planted by water: her fruit and her shoot abounded by reason of much water.

11 And it hath strong rods for sceptres of rulers, And high is its stature above thick branches, And it appeareth in its height In the multitude of its thin shoots.

And she became a rod for a tribe of princes, and was elevated in her bulk in the midst of [other] trees, and she saw her bulk in the multitude of her branches.

12 And it is plucked up in fury, To the earth it hath been cast, And the east wind hath dried up its fruit, Broken and withered hath been the rod of its strength, Fire hath consumed it.

But she was broken down in wrath, she was cast upon the ground, and the east wind dried up her choice [branches]: vengeance came upon them, and the rod of her strength was withered; fire consumed it.

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

And now they have planted her in the wilderness, in a dry land.

14 And go forth doth fire from a rod of its boughs, Its fruit it hath devoured, And it hath no rod of strength — a sceptre to rule, Lamentation it [is] — and it is for a lamentation!'

And fire is gone out of a rod of her choice [boughs], and has devoured her; and there was no rod of strength in her. Her race is become a parable of lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation.