Ezekiel 19

1 Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,2 and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her whelps.3 And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks 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 he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.7 And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring.8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.9 And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.10 Thy mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.11 And it had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.12 But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: its strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them.13 And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.14 And fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

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.