1 ¶ And take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

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

2 a nd thou shalt say, How hast thy mother, the lioness, lain down among the lions? She raised her whelps among the young lions.

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

3 A nd she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey and to devour men.

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

4 T he Gentiles also heard of him; he was taken in their trap, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

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

5 N ow when she saw that she had waited a long time and her hope was being lost, then she took another of her whelps and made him a young lion.

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 A nd he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion and learned to catch the prey and devoured men.

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

7 A nd he knew their widows, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fullness thereof, by the voice of his roaring.

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 T hen the Gentiles set against him on every side from the provinces and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.

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 A nd they put him in prison in chains and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into fortresses that his voice should no longer be heard upon the mountains of 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 ¶ Thy mother was like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters, bearing fruit and spreading forth branches by reason of the many waters.

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 A nd she had strong rods for the sceptres of those that bore rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height and with the multitude of her branches.

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 B ut she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; her branches were broken, and she withered; fire consumed the rod of her strength.

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 A nd now she is planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty ground.

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

14 A nd fire is gone out of the rod from her branches, which has devoured her fruit, so that no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule has remained in her. This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation.

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.”