1 “ As for you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel

وَقالَ لِيَ اللهُ: «أمّا أنتَ، فَأنشِدْ نَشِيدَ حُزنٍ عَلَى قادَةِ إسْرائِيلَ وَقُلْ:

2 a nd say, ‘ What was your mother? A lioness among lions! She lay down among young lions, She reared her cubs.

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

3 ‘ When she brought up one of her cubs, He became a lion, And he learned to tear his prey; He devoured men.

رَبَّتْ شِبلاً لِيَصِيرَ أسَداً قَوِيّاً. تَعَلَّمَ الِافتِراسَ، وَأكلَ النّاسَ.

4 ‘ Then nations heard about him; He was captured in their pit, And they brought him with hooks To the land of Egypt.

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

5 ‘ When she saw, as she waited, That her hope was lost, She took another of her cubs And made him a young lion.

فَلَمّا فَقَدَتْ كُلَّ رَجاءٍ فِي عَودَتِهِ. اختارَتْ واحِداً آخَرَ مِنْ جِرائِها وَجَعَلَتهُ أسَداً قَوِيّاً.

6 ‘ And he walked about among the lions; He became a young lion, He learned to tear his prey; He devoured men.

فَبَدَأ يَتَباهَى وَسَطَ الأُسُودِ، وَصارَ قَوِيّاً بَيْنَها. وَتَعَلَّمَ الِافتِراسَ، وَأكَلَ النّاسَ.

7 ‘ He destroyed their fortified towers And laid waste their cities; And the land and its fullness were appalled Because of the sound of his roaring.

هاجَمَ حُصُونَهُمْ، وَدَمَّرَ مُدُنَهُمْ. فَاندَهَشَ كُلُّ سُكّانِ الأرْضِ مِنْ صَوتِ زَمجَرَتِهِ.

8 ‘ Then nations set against him On every side from their provinces, And they spread their net over him; He was captured in their pit.

حِينَئِذٍ، هاجَمَتهُ الشُّعُوبُ المُجاوِرَةُ، وَألقَوْا شَبَكَتَهُمْ عَلَيهِ، فَوَقَعَ فِي فَخِّهِمْ.

9 ‘ They put him in a cage with hooks And brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in hunting nets So that his voice would be heard no more On the mountains of Israel.

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

10 ‘ Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, Planted by the waters; It was fruitful and full of branches Because of abundant waters.

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

11 ‘ And it had strong branches fit for scepters of rulers, And its height was raised above the clouds So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.

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

12 ‘ But it was plucked up in fury; It was cast down to the ground; And the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branch was torn off So that it withered; The fire consumed it.

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

13 ‘ And now it is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land.

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

14 ‘ And fire has gone out from its branch; It has consumed its shoots and fruit, So that there is not in it a strong branch, A scepter to rule.’” This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.

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