1 Y tú levanta esta endecha sobre los príncipes de Israel.

“As for you, sing a song of sorrow for the leaders of Israel,

2 Y dirás: ¡Cómo se echó entre los leones tu madre la leona! Entre los leoncillos crió sus cachorros.

and say: ‘What was your mother? A female lion among lions! She lay down with young lions. She raised her young ones.

3 E hizo subir uno de sus cachorros; vino a ser leoncillo, y aprendió a prender presa, y a devorar hombres.

She brought up one of her little ones, and he became a lion. He learned to catch his food. He ate men.

4 Y los gentiles oyeron de él; fue tomado con el lazo de ellos, y le llevaron con grillos a la tierra de Egipto.

The nations heard about him, and he was caught in their trap. And they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

5 Y viendo ella que había esperado mucho tiempo, y que se perdía su esperanza, tomó otro de sus cachorros, y lo puso por leoncillo.

Your mother waited until she saw that her hope was lost. Then she took another of her little ones and made him a young lion.

6 Y él andaba entre los leones; se hizo leoncillo, aprendió a hacer presa, devoró hombres.

He walked up and down among the lions. He became a young lion and learned to catch his food. He ate men.

7 Y conoció sus viudas, y asoló sus ciudades; y la tierra fue asolada, y su abundancia, a la voz de su bramido.

He wrecked their strong towers and destroyed their cities. The land and all who were in it were filled with fear because of the loud noise he made.

8 Y dieron sobre él los gentiles de las provincias de su alrededor, y extendieron sobre él su red; fue preso en su hoyo.

Then the nations came against him from their lands all around. They spread their net over him, and he was caught in their trap.

9 Y lo pusieron en cárcel con cadenas, y le llevaron al rey de Babilonia; lo metieron en fortalezas, para que su voz no se oyera más sobre los montes de Israel.

They put him in a prison with chains and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison so that his voice would never be heard again on the mountains of Israel.

10 T u madre fue como una vid en tu sangre, plantada junto a las aguas, haciendo fruto y echando vástagos a causa de las muchas aguas.

Your mother was like a vine in your grape-field, planted by the water. It gave much fruit and was full of branches because there was much water.

11 Y ella tuvo varas fuertes para cetros de señores; y se levantó su estatura por encima entre las ramas, y fue vista en su altura, y con la multitud de sus sarmientos.

Its branches were strong enough to be made into sticks held by rulers to show their power. It grew as high as the clouds. Everyone saw how high it was and that it had many branches.

12 P ero fue arrancada con ira, derribada en tierra, y viento solano secó su fruto; fueron quebradas sus ramas y se secó; fuego consumió la vara de su fuerza.

But it was pulled up by the roots in anger and thrown down to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branch was torn off so that it dried up. And fire destroyed it.

13 Y ahora está plantada en el desierto, en tierra de sequedad y de aridez.

Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land.

14 Y salió fuego de la vara de sus ramas, que consumió su fruto, y no quedó en ella vara fuerte, cetro para enseñorear. Endecha es ésta, y de endecha servirá.

Fire has spread from its largest branch and has destroyed its young branches and its fruit. No strong branch is left on it to be made into a stick for a ruler.’ This is a song of sorrow, and is to be used as a death song.”