The lament for Israel's princes
Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel and say: What a lioness was your mother among the lions. She lay down among them and reared her cubs. 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 to the land of Egypt. When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion. He prowled among the lions, for he was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he became a man-eater. He broke down their strongholds and devastated their towns. The land and all who were in it were terrified by his roaring. Then the nations came against him, those from regions round about. They spread their net for him, and he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison, so his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel. Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler's sceptre. It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches. But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them. Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler's sceptre. This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.
Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel
Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
and say: What a lioness was your mother among the lions. She lay down among them and reared her cubs.
And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.
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.
And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.
The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.
When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion.
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.
He prowled among the lions, for he was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he became a man-eater.
And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.
He broke down their strongholds and devastated their towns. The land and all who were in it were terrified by his roaring.
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.
Then the nations came against him, those from regions round about. They spread their net for him, and he was trapped in their pit.
Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.
With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison, so his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.
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.
Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water.
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.
Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler's sceptre. It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches.
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.
But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them.
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.
Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land.
And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler's sceptre. This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.
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.