1 و َقالَ لِيَ اللهُ: «أمّا أنتَ، فَأنشِدْ نَشِيدَ حُزنٍ عَلَى قادَةِ إسْرائِيلَ وَقُلْ:

“Moreover take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2 « ‹أُمُّكِ لَبْوَةٌ تَربِضُ بَينَ الأُسُودِ، وَتُرَبِّي جِراءَها مَعَ الأشبالِ.

and say: ‘What is your mother? A lioness: She lay down among the lions; Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.

3 ر َبَّتْ شِبلاً لِيَصِيرَ أسَداً قَوِيّاً. تَعَلَّمَ الِافتِراسَ، وَأكلَ النّاسَ.

She brought up one of her cubs, And he became a young lion; He learned to catch prey, And he devoured men.

4 « ‹سَمِعَتهُ الأُمَمُ يُزَمجِرُ، فَأمسَكُوهُ بِفَخِّهِمْ. وَضَعُوا كَلالِيبَ فِي فَمِهِ، وَاقتادُوهُ إلَى مِصْرَ.

The nations also heard of him; He was trapped in their pit, And they brought him with chains to the land of Egypt.

5 ف َلَمّا فَقَدَتْ كُلَّ رَجاءٍ فِي عَودَتِهِ. اختارَتْ واحِداً آخَرَ مِنْ جِرائِها وَجَعَلَتهُ أسَداً قَوِيّاً.

‘When she saw that she waited, that her hope was lost, She took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.

6 ف َبَدَأ يَتَباهَى وَسَطَ الأُسُودِ، وَصارَ قَوِيّاً بَيْنَها. وَتَعَلَّمَ الِافتِراسَ، وَأكَلَ النّاسَ.

He roved among the lions, And became a young lion; He learned to catch prey; He devoured men.

7 ه اجَمَ حُصُونَهُمْ، وَدَمَّرَ مُدُنَهُمْ. فَاندَهَشَ كُلُّ سُكّانِ الأرْضِ مِنْ صَوتِ زَمجَرَتِهِ.

He knew their desolate places, And laid waste their cities; The land with its fullness was desolated By the noise of his roaring.

8 ح ِينَئِذٍ، هاجَمَتهُ الشُّعُوبُ المُجاوِرَةُ، وَألقَوْا شَبَكَتَهُمْ عَلَيهِ، فَوَقَعَ فِي فَخِّهِمْ.

Then the nations set against him from the provinces on every side, And spread their net over him; He was trapped in their pit.

9 و َضَعُوا كلالِيبَ فِي فَمِهِ، وَوَضَعُوهُ فِي قَفَصٍ، وَاقتادُوهُ إلَى مَلِكِ بابِلَ، ثُمَّ ألقَوْهُ فِي الزِّنزانَةِ، كَي لا يَعُودَ صَوتُهُ يُسمَعُ عَلَى جِبالِ إسْرائِيلَ.» رَمزُ الكَرمَة

They put him in a cage with chains, And brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in nets, That his voice should no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

10 « ‹أُمُّكَ كَكَرمَةٍ مَلِيئَةٍ بِالثِّمارِ لأنَّها مَزرُوعَةٌ قُربَ قَنَواتِ الرَّيِّ. إنَّها مُثمِرَةٌ وَمُغَطّاةٌ بِأوراقٍ كَثِيرَةٍ بِسَبَبِ كَثرَةِ المِياهِ.

‘Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline, Planted by the waters, Fruitful and full of branches Because of many waters.

11 ص ارَتْ فُرُوعُها صُولَجاناتٍ للِحُكّامِ. وَارتَفَعَ أحَدُ فُرُوعِها حَتَّى وَسَطِ السَّحابِ، وَنَمَتْ أغصانُها الصَّغِيرَةُ بِشَكلٍ كامِلٍ.

She had strong branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above the thick branches, And was seen in her height amid the dense foliage.

12 و َلَكِنَّها اقتُلِعَتْ بِغَضَبٍ وَأُلقِيَتْ عَلَى الأرْضِ، وَجَفَّفَتِ الرِّيحُ الشَّرقِيَّةُ ثِمارَها، وَسَقَطَتْ أغصانُها مِنَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَيَبِسَتْ. أمّا أغْصانُها القَوِيَّةُ فَقَدِ احتَرَقَتْ بِالنّارِ.

But she was plucked up in fury, She was cast down to the ground, And the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches were broken and withered; The fire consumed them.

13 « ‹وَالآنَ هِيَ مَزرُوعَةٌ فِي الصَّحراءِ، فِي أرْضٍ يابِسَةٍ وَعَطشانَةٍ.

And now she is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land.

14 ا متَدَّتِ النّارُ مِنْ أغْصانِها وَالتَهَمَتْ ثَمَرَها، وَلَمْ يَعُدْ هُناكَ فِرعٌ قَوِيٌّ يَصلُحُ صُولَجاناً لِحاكِمٍ.›» هَذِهِ قَصِيدَةُ رِثاءٍ حَزِينَةٌ.

Fire has come out from a rod of her branches And devoured her fruit, So that she has no strong branch— a scepter for ruling.’” This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.