19
1 “And you, sing a lament for the princes of Israel,
2 and say:
“ ‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions!
She lay among young lions; she reared her cubs.
3 She reared one of her cubs; he became a young lion.
He learned to tear prey; he devoured people.
4 The nations heard about him; he was trapped in their pit.
They brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
5 “‘When she realized that she waited in vain, her hope was lost.
She took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.
6 He walked about among the lions; he became a young lion.
He learned to tear prey; he devoured people.
7 He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities.
The land and everything in it was frightened at the sound of his roaring.
8 The nations – the surrounding regions – attacked him.
They threw their net over him; he was caught in their pit.
9 They put him in a collar with hooks;
they brought him to the king of Babylon;
they brought him to prison
so that his voice would not be heard
any longer on the mountains of Israel.
10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by water.
It was fruitful and full of branches because it was well-watered.
11 Its boughs were strong, fit for rulers’ scepters; it reached up into the clouds.
It stood out because of its height and its many branches.
12 But it was plucked up in anger; it was thrown down to the ground.
The east wind dried up its fruit;
its strong branches broke off and withered –
a fire consumed them.
13 Now it is planted in the wilderness,
in a dry and thirsty land.
14 A fire has gone out from its branch; it has consumed its shoot and its fruit.
No strong branch was left in it, nor a scepter to rule.’
This is a lament song, and has become a lament song.”