Ezekiel 19

A Lament for Israel’s Princes

¹“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel,²³and say: What was your mother? A lioness! She lay down among the lions; she reared her cubs among the young lions.⁴

⁵She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After he learned to tear prey, he devoured people.⁶

⁷When the nations heard about him, he was caught in their pit. Then they led him away with hooks to the land of Egypt.⁸

⁹When she saw that she waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.¹⁰

¹¹He prowled among the lions, and he became a young lion. After he learned to tear prey, he devoured people.¹²

¹³He devastated their strongholds and destroyed their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring.¹⁴

¹⁵Then the nations from the surrounding provinces set out against him. They spread their net over him; he was caught in their pit.¹⁶

¹⁷They put a wooden yoke on him with hooks and led him away to the king of Babylon. They brought him into the fortresses so his roar could no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.¹⁸

¹⁹Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water.²⁰

²¹It had strong branches, fit for the scepters of rulers; its height towered among the clouds. So it was conspicuous for its height as well as its many branches.²²

²³But it was uprooted in fury, thrown to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were torn off and dried up; fire consumed them.²⁴

²⁵Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.²⁶

²⁷Fire has gone out from its main branch and has devoured its fruit, so that it no longer has a strong branch, a scepter for ruling. This is a lament and should be used as a lament.”²⁸