Ezekiel 19

1 [Yahweh said to me, “Ezekiel], sing a sad funeral [a which will be a parable] [two of the] kings of Israel.

Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel

2 Say [to the Israeli people], ‘[It is as though] [MET] your mother was a brave female lion who raised her cubs among [other] lions.

with these words: “What was your mother? She was a lioness among the lions! She lay down in her place among the young lions and reared her cubs.

3 She taught one of them to [for other animals to kill], and he [even] learned [kill and] eat people.

She raised one of her cubs, and he grew up to be young lion. Once he had learned how to tear up his prey, he started eating people.

4 [When people from other] nations heard about him, they trapped him in a pit. Then they used hooks to drag him to Egypt.

But when the nations heard about him, he was caught in their trap. They used hooks to drag him away to Egypt.

5 His mother waited for him [to return], but [soon] she stopped hoping/expecting [that he would return]. So she raised another cub who [also] became very fierce.

When she realized that the hope she had been waiting for was gone, she made another of her cubs into a young lion.

6 He hunted along with [other] [for animals to kill], and he even learned [kill and] eat people.

He went around with the other lions, and became strong. Once he had learned how to tear up his prey, he started eating people.

7 He destroyed forts, and he ruined cities. When he roared [loudly], everyone was terrified.

He tore down their fortresses and destroyed their towns. All the people living in the country were appalled when they heard him roaring.

8 So [people of other] nations planned to kill him, and men came from many places to spread out a net for him, and they caught him in a trap.

Then the people of the countries all around attacked him. They threw their net over him; he was caught in their trap.

9 They tied him with chains and took him to Babylonia. And [there] he was locked in a prison, with the result that [no one on] the hills of Israel ever heard him roar again.’ [Also, say to the Israeli people, ]

They used hooks to put him in a cage and took him to the king of Babylon. They led him away and imprisoned him so his roar wasn't heard any more in Israel's mountains.

10 ‘[It is as though] [SIM] your mother was a grapevine that was planted along a stream. There was plenty of water, so it had lots of branches and produced [a lot of] grapes.

Your mother was like a vine planted in your vineyard at the waterside. It produced a lot of fruit and had many branches because it had plenty of water.

11 That grapevine grew and became taller than all the nearby trees; [everyone could] see that it was very strong and healthy. And those branches were good for making scepters that symbolize the power/ [of a king].

Its branches were strong like rulers' scepters. It grew high above the tree canopy. People could see how tall and full of leaves it was.

12 [Yahweh] became very angry, so he pulled up the vine by its roots and threw it on the ground, where the [very hot] winds from the desert dried up all its fruit. The strong branches wilted and were burned in a fire.

But it was uprooted in anger and thrown down on the ground. The east wind blew and dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped of leaves and they withered. Then they were burned up in the fire.

13 Now that vine has been planted in a hot, dry desert.

Now the vine has been replanted in the desert, in a dry and waterless land.

14 A fire started to burn its stem, and then started to burn the branches and burned all the grapes. [Now] not [even] one strong branch remains; they will never become scepters for a king.’ That funeral song must be sung very sadly.”

A fire blazed out from its main trunk and burned up its fruit. None of its branches that were once like a ruler's scepter are strong any more.” This is a funeral song and is to be used for mourning.