19 ‘Sing this sad funeral song for the leaders of Israel.
2 Say this:
“Your mother was like a great lion among the other lions.
She lay among strong young lions.
She helped her children to grow safely.
3 She taught one of her children to catch animals for food.
As he grew, he started to eat people.
4 The people of other nations heard about him.
They dug a hole and they caught him in their trap.
They put hooks in him and they took him to Egypt.
5 His mother waited for him to return home.
He did not come and she stopped hoping for him.
She helped another of her sons to become a strong young lion.
6 He grew to be strong among the other lions.
He learned to catch wild animals and to eat them.
He also learned to eat people.
7 He attacked their strong buildings and he destroyed their cities.
When he roared, the noise frightened everyone in the land.
8 Men from other nations near there came to attack him.
They threw a net over him.
They caught him in their trap.
9 They tied hooks around his neck.
They took him to the king of Babylon.
There they put him in prison to stop him roaring.
The people on the hills of Israel could not hear his voice any longer.
10 Your mother was like a vine that was growing near a stream.
It grew well because there was plenty of water there.
It made many branches and it had a lot of fruit.
11 Its branches became big and strong.
They were strong enough to make a ruler's stick of authority.
The vine grew taller than all the other trees around it.
Everyone could see that it was very tall and strong.
12 But the Lord became angry with that vine.
He pulled up its roots and he threw it down to the ground.
The east wind made it dry and destroyed its fruit.
Its strong branches broke and they became useless.
Fire destroyed them.
13 Now that vine is growing in a desert.
It is in a hot, dry place where there is no water.
14 Fire started to burn its strongest branch.
From there the fire destroyed its other branches and its fruit.
No strong branch remained in the vine.
Now there was nothing to make a ruler's stick of authority.”
This is a funeral song. It tells a very sad story.’
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.”
19 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.
19 “As for you, take up a ( A ) song of mourning for the ( B ) leaders of Israel 2 and say,
‘ [ a ] What was your mother?
A lioness among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
She raised her cubs.
3 When she brought up one of her cubs,
( C ) He became a young lion,
And he learned to tear his prey;
He devoured people.
4 Then nations heard about him;
He was caught in their trap,
And they ( D ) brought him with hooks
To the land of Egypt.
5 When she saw, as she waited,
That her hope was lost,
She took [ b ] another of her cubs
And made ( E ) him a young lion.
6 And he ( F ) walked about among the lions,
He became a young lion;
He learned to tear his prey;
He devoured people.
7 He [ c ] destroyed their [ d ] palaces
And laid waste their cities;
And the land and its fullness were appalled
Because of the sound of his roaring.
8 Then ( G ) nations set against him
On every side from their provinces,
And they spread their net over him;
He was caught in their trap.
9 ( H ) They put him in a [ e ] wooden collar with hooks
And ( I ) brought him to the king of Babylon;
They brought him in hunting nets
So that his voice would no longer be heard
On the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was ( J ) like a vine in your [ f ] vineyard,
Planted by the waters;
It was fruitful and thick with branches
Because of abundant waters.
11 And it had [ g ] ( K ) strong stems fit for scepters of rulers,
And its ( L ) height was raised above the clouds
So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.
12 But it was ( M ) uprooted in fury;
It was ( N ) thrown down to the ground;
And the ( O ) east wind dried up its fruit.
[ h ] Its ( P ) strong stem [ i ] was torn out
So that [ j ] it withered;
The fire consumed it.
13 And now it is planted in the ( Q ) wilderness,
In a dry and thirsty land.
14 And ( R ) fire has gone out from its stem;
It has consumed its shoots and fruit,
So that there is no [ k ] strong stem in it,
A scepter to rule.’”
This is a song of mourning, and has become a song of mourning.
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.”
