Ezekiel 19
Living Bible
19 “Sing this death dirge for the leaders of Israel: 2 What a woman your mother was—like a lioness! Her children were like lion’s cubs! 3 One of her cubs, King Jehoahaz,[a] grew into a strong young lion and learned to catch prey and became a man-eater. 4 Then the nations called out their hunters; they trapped him in a pit and brought him in chains to Egypt.
5 “When Israel, the mother lion, saw that all her hopes for him were gone, she took another of her cubs, King Jehoiachin,[b] and taught him to be ‘king of the beasts.’ 6 He became a leader among the lions and learned to catch prey, and he too became a man-eater. 7 He demolished the palaces of the surrounding nations and ruined their cities; their farms were desolated, their crops destroyed; everyone in the land shook with terror when they heard him roar. 8 Then the armies of the nations surrounded him, coming from every side, and trapped him in a pit and captured him. 9 They prodded him into a cage and brought him before the king of Babylon. He was held in captivity so that his voice could never again be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
10 “Your mother was like a vine beside an irrigation ditch, with lush, green foliage because of all the water. 11 Its strongest branch became a ruler’s scepter, and it was very great, towering above the others and noticed from far away. 12 But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the ground. Its branches were broken and withered by a strong wind from the east; the fruit was destroyed by fire. 13 Now the vine is planted in the wilderness where the ground is hard and dry. 14 It is decaying from within;[c] no strong branch remains. The fulfillment of this sad prophecy has already begun, and there is more ahead.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 19:3 King Jehoahaz, implied.
- Ezekiel 19:5 King Jehoiachin, implied.
- Ezekiel 19:14 It is decaying from within, literally, “A fire is gone out of its branches and devoured its fruit.”
Ezekiel 19
New International Version
A Lament Over Israel’s Princes
19 “Take up a lament(A) concerning the princes(B) of Israel 2 and say:
“‘What a lioness(C) was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.(D)
3 She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
4 The nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks(E)
to the land of Egypt.(F)
5 “‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs(G)
and made him a strong lion.(H)
6 He prowled among the lions,
for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.(I)
7 He broke down[a] their strongholds
and devastated(J) their towns.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified by his roaring.
8 Then the nations(K) came against him,
those from regions round about.
They spread their net(L) for him,
and he was trapped in their pit.(M)
9 With hooks(N) they pulled him into a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon.(O)
They put him in prison,
so his roar(P) was heard no longer
on the mountains of Israel.(Q)
10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard[b](R)
planted by the water;(S)
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.(T)
11 Its branches were strong,
fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
and for its many branches.(U)
12 But it was uprooted(V) in fury
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind(W) made it shrivel,
it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
and fire consumed them.(X)
13 Now it is planted in the desert,(Y)
in a dry and thirsty land.(Z)
14 Fire spread from one of its main[c] branches
and consumed(AA) its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’(AB)
“This is a lament(AC) and is to be used as a lament.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 19:7 Targum (see Septuagint); Hebrew He knew
- Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood
- Ezekiel 19:14 Or from under its
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