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A Sad Song About Israel

19 The Lord said to me, “You must sing this sad song about the leaders of Israel:

“‘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.
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.

“‘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.

“‘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.
He hunted with the adult lions
    and became a strong young lion.
He learned to catch his food.
    He killed and ate a man.
He attacked the palaces and destroyed the cities.
    Everyone in that country was too afraid to speak when hearing his growl.
Then the people who lived around him set a trap for him,
    and they caught him in their trap.
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.”

A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

19 “Take up a lament(A) concerning the princes(B) of Israel and say:

“‘What a lioness(C) was your mother
    among the lions!
She lay down among them
    and reared her cubs.(D)
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.
The nations heard about him,
    and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks(E)
    to the land of Egypt.(F)

“‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
    her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs(G)
    and made him a strong lion.(H)
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)
He broke down[a] their strongholds
    and devastated(J) their towns.
The land and all who were in it
    were terrified by his roaring.
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)
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

  1. Ezekiel 19:7 Targum (see Septuagint); Hebrew He knew
  2. Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood
  3. Ezekiel 19:14 Or from under its

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.