Ezekiel 19

1 “Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel

Take up now a song of grief for the ruler of Israel, and say,

2 and say, 'Who was your mother? A lioness, she lived with a lion's son; in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.

What was your mother? Like a she-lion among lions, stretched out among the young lions she gave food to her little ones.

3 She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion, a lion who learned to tear apart his victims, and then he devoured men.

And one of her little ones came to growth under her care, and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.

4 Then the nations heard about him. He was caught in their trap, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

And the nations had news of him; he was taken in the hole they had made: and, pulling him with hooks, they took him into the land of Egypt.

5 Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, her expectation was now gone, so she took another of her cubs and raised him to become a young lion.

Now when she saw that her hope was made foolish and gone, she took another of her little ones and made him into a young lion.

6 This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; he devoured men.

And he went up and down among the lions and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.

7 He seized their widows and ruined their cities. The land and its fullness were abandoned because of the sound of his roaring.

And he sent destruction on their widows and made waste their towns; and the land and everything in it became waste because of the loud sound of his voice.

8 But the nations came against him from the surrounding provinces; they spread their nets over him. He was caught in their trap.

Then the nations came against him from the kingdoms round about: their net was stretched over him and he was taken in the hole they had made.

9 With hooks they put him in a cage and then they brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him to the strongholds so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

They made him a prisoner with hooks, and took him to the king of Babylon; they put him in the strong place so that his voice might be sounding no longer on the mountains of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a vine planted in your blood beside the water. it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of water.

Your mother was in comparison like a vine, planted by the waters: she was fertile and full of branches because of the great waters.

11 It had strong branches that were used for rulers' scepters, and its size was exalted above the branches, and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.

And she had a strong rod for a rod of authority for the rulers, and it became tall among the clouds and it was seen lifted up among the number of its branches.

12 But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the earth, and an eastern wind dried out its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered and fire consumed them.

But she was uprooted in burning wrath, and made low on the earth; the east wind came, drying her up, and her branches were broken off; her strong rod became dry, the fire made a meal of it.

13 So now it is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst.

And now she is planted in the waste land, in a dry and unwatered country.

14 For fire went out from her large branches and consumed its fruit. There is no strong branch on it, no scepter to rule.' This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation.”

And fire has gone out from her rod, causing the destruction of her branches, so that there is no strong rod in her to be the ruler's rod of authority. This is a song of grief, and it was for a song of grief.