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19 And thou, son of man, take wailing on the princes of Israel; (And thou, son of man, take up a wailing for the princes of Israel;)

and thou shalt say, Why thy mother, a lioness, lay among lions? In the midst of little lions she nourished her whelps, (and thou shalt say, Thy mother, a lioness, lay among the lions! In the midst of the little lions she nourished, or brought up, her cubs,)

and led out one of her little lions; he was made a lion, and he learned to take prey, and to eat men.

And heathen men heard of him, and took him not without their wounds; and they brought him in chains into the land of Egypt. (And the heathen, or the nations, heard of him, and caught him in their pit; and they brought him in chains to the land of Egypt.)

Which mother when she had seen, that she was sick, and the abiding of him perished, took (another) one of her little lions, and made him a lion. (Which mother when she had seen, that her hope was gone, and her waiting was for nought, took another one of her little lions, and made him a lion.)

Which went among (the) lions, and was made (like) a (young) lion; and [he] learned to take prey, and to devour men.

He learned to make widows, and to bring the cities of men into desert; and the land and the fullness thereof was made desolate, of the voice of his roaring. (He learned to make widows, and to lay waste the peoples’ cities; and the land and its fullness was made desolate, at the sound of his roaring.)

And heathen men came together against him on each side from provinces, and spread on him their net; he was taken in the wounds of those heathen men. (And from the provinces the heathen came together against him on every side, and spread their net upon him; and he was caught in the pit of those heathen.)

And they sent him into a cave in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon; and they sent him into prison, that his voice were no more heard on the hills of Israel (and they sent him into prison, so that his roar was never heard again on the hills of Israel).

10 Thy mother as a vinery in thy blood was planted on water; the fruits thereof and the boughs thereof increased (by reason) of many waters. (Thy mother like a vine in thy vineyard was planted by the water; its fruits and its branches increased because of the many waters.)

11 And firm rods were made to it into sceptres of lords, and the stature thereof was enhanced among boughs; and it saw his highness in the multitude of his scions. (And its firm branches were made into sceptres for lords, and its stature was raised up among the other branches; and it saw its highness amid the multitude of its leaves.)

12 And it was drawn out in wrath, and was cast forth into [the] earth; and a burning wind dried the fruit thereof, and the rods of strength thereof withered, and were made dry, and the fire ate it. (And it was drawn out in anger, and was thrown forth onto the ground; and a burning wind dried up its fruit, and its strong branches withered, and were dried up, and the fire ate it.)

13 And now it is planted over in desert, in a land without way, and thirsty. (And now it is planted again in the wilderness, in a thirsty land without a way, or without a road/in a dry and thirsty land.)

14 And fire went out of a rod of the branches thereof, that ate the fruit thereof. And a strong rod, the sceptre of lords, was not in it. It is (a) wailing, and it shall be into wailing (This is a lament, and it shall be sung for a lament).

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