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

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

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

and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her whelps.

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

And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

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

The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt.

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

Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

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

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

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

And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring.

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

Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.

9 T hey 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.

And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

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

Thy mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

11 S he 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.

And it had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

12 B ut 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.

But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: its strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them.

13 A nd now she is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land.

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

14 F ire 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.

And fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.