1 » Tú, dedica este lamento a los príncipes de Israel.

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

2 D iles: »¡Leona entre las leonas era tu madre! ¡Entre los leones crió a sus cachorros!

and say, What was your mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs.

3 A uno de ellos lo levantó del suelo, y lo convirtió en un verdadero leoncillo. Y éste aprendió a desmenuzar a su presa y a devorarse a los hombres.

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

4 C uando las naciones se enteraron, lo hicieron caer en sus trampas y encadenado lo llevaron a Egipto.

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

5 C uando su madre perdió la esperanza de que su cachorro volviera, tomó a otro de sus cachorros e hizo de él un león feroz.

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

6 Y el que antes era cachorro llegó a ser león entre los leones, y aprendió a desmenuzar a su presa y a devorarse a los hombres.

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

7 S aqueó fortalezas, asoló ciudades, y con el estruendo de sus rugidos asustaba al país y a sus habitantes.

He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring.

8 » Pero lo atacaron los pueblos vecinos. Echaron su red sobre él, y lo hicieron caer en un foso.

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 L o encadenaron y, en una jaula, lo presentaron ante el rey de Babilonia. ¡Lo confinaron en una mazmorra para que nunca más sus rugidos se oyeran sobre los montes de Israel!

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 on the mountains of Israel.

10 » ¡Vid entre las vides era tu madre! Plantada junto a abundantes aguas, daba abundantes frutos y vástagos;

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

11 s us fuertes varas servían para cetros, y su altura sobresalía entre las ramas. Era tal su altura, y tantos sus sarmientos, que fácilmente se le reconocía.

It had strong rods for the scepters of those who bore rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

12 ¡ Pero fue arrancada con violencia, y derribada por los suelos! ¡El viento solano marchitó sus frutos y dejó secas sus fuertes ramas! ¡Rotas quedaron, y el fuego las consumió!

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 hora está plantada en el desierto, en una tierra seca y desolada.

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

14 D e una de sus varas salió fuego, y ese fuego consumió sus frutos. ¡Ya no queda en ella ninguna vara fuerte que sirva como cetro para un rey!» Éste es un lamento, y lamento debe ser.

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