Ezekiel 19
Easy-to-Read Version
A Sad Song About Israel
19 The Lord said to me, “You must sing this sad song about the leaders of Israel:
2 “‘Your mother is like a female lion,
lying there with the male lions.
She went to lie down with
the young male lions and had many babies.
3 One of her cubs gets up.
He has grown to be a strong young lion.
He has learned to catch his food.
He killed and ate a man.
4 “‘The people heard him roar,
and they caught him in their trap.
They put hooks in his mouth
and carried the young lion to Egypt.
5 “‘The mother lion had hoped that cub would become the leader,
but now she has lost all hope.
So she took another of her cubs
and trained him to be a lion.
6 He hunted with the adult lions
and became a strong young lion.
He learned to catch his food.
He killed and ate a man.
7 He attacked the palaces and destroyed the cities.
Everyone in that country was too afraid to speak when hearing his growl.
8 Then the people who lived around him set a trap for him,
and they caught him in their trap.
9 They put hooks on him and locked him up.
They had him in their trap,
so they took him to the king of Babylon.
And now, you cannot hear his roar
on the mountains of Israel.
10 “‘Your mother is like a grapevine
planted near the water.
She had plenty of water,
so she grew many strong vines.
11 Then she grew large branches.
They were like a strong walking stick.
They were like a king’s scepter.
The vine grew taller and taller.
It had many branches and reached to the clouds.
12 But the vine was pulled up by the roots,
and thrown down to the ground.
The hot east wind blew and dried its fruit.
The strong branches broke, and they were thrown into the fire.
13 “‘Now that grapevine is planted in the desert.
It is a very dry and thirsty land.
14 A fire started in the large branch
and spread to destroy all of its vines and fruit.
So there was no strong walking stick.
There was no king’s scepter.’
This was a sad song about death, and it was sung as a sad song about death.”
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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