Ezekiel 19

Chapter 19

A Funeral Song for Israel’s Kings

1 “Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel:
2 “What is your mother?
A lioness among lions!
She lay down among the young lions
and reared her cubs.3 She raised one of her cubs
to become a strong young lion.
He learned to hunt and devour prey,
and he became a man-eater.4 Then the nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him away with hooks
to the land of Egypt.5 “When the lioness saw
that her hopes for him were gone,
she took another of her cubs
and taught him to be a strong young lion.6 He prowled among the other lions
and stood out among them in his strength.
He learned to hunt and devour prey,
and he, too, became a man-eater.7 He demolished fortressest
and destroyed their towns and cities.
Their farms were desolated,
and their crops were destroyed.
The land and its people trembled in fear
when they heard him roar.8 Then the armies of the nations attacked him,
surrounding him from every direction.
They threw a net over him
and captured him in their pit.9 With hooks, they dragged him into a cage
and brought him before the king of Babylon.
They held him in captivity,
so his voice could never again be heard
on the mountains of Israel.10 “Your mother was like a vine
planted by the water’s edge.
It had lush, green foliage
because of the abundant water.11 Its branches became strong—
strong enough to be a ruler’s scepter.
It grew very tall,
towering above all others.
It stood out because of its height
and its many lush branches.12 But the vine was uprooted in fury
and thrown down to the ground.
The desert wind dried up its fruit
and tore off its strong branches,
so that it withered
and was destroyed by fire.13 Now the vine is transplanted to the wilderness,
where the ground is hard and dry.

14 A fire has burst out from its branches
and devoured its fruit.
Its remaining limbs are not
strong enough to be a ruler’s scepter.
“This is a funeral song, and it will be used in a funeral.”

EZEKIEL 19

A Funeral Song //for Israel's Leaders

The [Lord] said:

1 Ezekiel, sing a funeral song for two of Israel's leaders:t

2 Your mother was a brave lioness
who raised her cubs
among lions.

3 She taught one of them to hunt,
and he learned to eat people.

4 When the nations heard of him,
they trapped him in a pit,
then they used hooks
to drag him to Egypt.

5 His mother waited
for him to return.
But soon she lost all hope
and raised another cub,
who also became fierce.

6 He hunted with other lions
and learned to eat people.

7 He destroyed fortressest
and ruined towns;
his mighty roar
terrified everyone.

8 Nations plotted to kill him,
and people came from all over
to spread out a net
and catch him in a trap.

9 They put him in a cage
and took him to Babylonia.
The lion was locked away,
so that his mighty roar
would never again be heard
on Israel's hills.

10 Your mother was a vine like you, t
growing near a stream.
There was plenty of water,
so she was filled with branches
and with lots of fruit.

11 Her strong branches
became symbols of authority,
and she was taller
than all other trees—
everyone could see how strong
and healthy she was.

12 But in anger, I pulled her up
by the roots
and threw her to the ground,
where the scorching desert wind
dried out her fruit.
Her strong branches wilted
and burned up.

13 Then she was planted
in a hot, dry desert,

14 where her stem caught fire,
and flames burned
her branches and fruit.
Not one strong branch is left;
she is stripped bare.
This funeral song must be sung with sorrow.