Ezekiel 19

1 “As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel

2 and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs.

3 She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

4 When the nations heard of him, he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they led him away to the land of Egypt.

5 When she saw that she had 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, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.

7 He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring.

8 Then the nations set out against him from the provinces on every side. They spread their net over him; he was trapped in their pit.

9 With hooks they caged him and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into captivity so that his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundant waters.

11 It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches, conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage.

12 But it was uprooted in fury, cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped off and they withered; the fire consumed them.

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

14 Fire has gone out from its main branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”

1 ¶ Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2 And say, What [is] thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.

3 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

5 Now when she saw that she had waited, [and] her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, [and] made him a young lion.

6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, [and] devoured men.

7 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.

8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.

9 And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

10 ¶ Thy mother [is] like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

11 And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.

12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

13 And now she [is] planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.

14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, [which] hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod [to be] a sceptre to rule. This [is] a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

1 But thou makest a lamentation for the princes of Israel.

2 And say, Why doth thy mother the lioness lie among the lionesses, and bring forth her whelps among the young lions?

3 And she brought up one of them, and it became a young lion; and it was accustomed to devour men and to devour them.

4 And when the heathen heard it of him, they caught him in their pits, and led him away in chains into the land of Egypt.

5 And when the mother saw that her hope was lost, because she had hoped long, she took another of her young, and made it a lionling.

6 And when he walked among the lionesses, he became a young lion; and he was accustomed to devour men, and to devour them.

7 He knew their widows, and laid waste their cities, that the land, and all that was therein, was astonished at the voice of his roaring.

8 Then the heathen from all the countries round about cast a net upon him, and caught him in their pits.

9 And they cast him bound into a gate, and brought him to the king of Babylon: and they put him away, that his voice should be heard no more in the mountains of Israel.

10 Thy mother was as a vine, like thee, planted by the waters, and her fruit and her branches grew by the great waters,

11 And his vines grew so strong, that they were good for a master's sceptre: and he was high among the vines. And when it was seen that he was so high, and had many vines,

12 He was pulled down to the ground in fury, and was rejected: the east wind withered his fruit, and his strong branches were broken, and withered, and were burned.

13 But now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land,

14 And a fire is gone out of her strong branches, and devoureth her fruit, that there is no more in her a strong branch to the sceptre of the LORD. This is a pitiful and wretched thing.