1 A nd thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel,

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

2 a nd thou hast said: What thy mother? -- a lioness, Among lions she hath crouched down, In the midst of young lions she hath multiplied her whelps.

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

3 A nd she bringeth up one of her whelps, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.

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

4 A nd hear of it do nations, In their pit it hath been caught, And they bring it in with chains unto the land of Egypt.

And the nations heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings into the land of Egypt.

5 A nd she seeth, that stayed -- perished hath her hope, And she taketh one of her whelps, A young lion she hath made it.

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

6 A nd it goeth up and down in the midst of lions, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.

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

7 A nd it knoweth his forsaken habitations, And their cities it hath laid waste, And desolate is the land and its fulness, Because of the voice of his roaring.

And he knew their palaces, and he laid waste their cities, so that the land was desolate, and all it contained, by the noise of his roaring.

8 A nd set against it do nations Round about from the provinces. And they spread out for it their net, In their pit it hath been caught.

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

9 A nd they put it in prison -- in chains, And they bring it unto the king of Babylon, They bring it in unto bulwarks, So that its voice is not heard any more On mountains of Israel.

And they put him in a cage with nose-rings, 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 T hy mother as a vine in thy blood by waters planted, Fruitful and full of boughs it hath been, Because of many waters.

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

11 A nd it hath strong rods for sceptres of rulers, And high is its stature above thick branches, And it appeareth in its height In the multitude of its thin shoots.

And it had strong rods for sceptres of them that bear rule, and its stature was exalted between the thick boughs; and it was conspicuous by its height with the multitude of its branches.

12 A nd it is plucked up in fury, To the earth it hath been cast, And the east wind hath dried up its fruit, Broken and withered hath been the rod of its strength, Fire hath consumed it.

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 and withered; the fire consumed them.

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

And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground:

14 A nd go forth doth fire from a rod of its boughs, Its fruit it hath devoured, And it hath no rod of strength -- a sceptre to rule, Lamentation it -- and it is for a lamentation!'

and a fire is gone out of a rod of its branches, hath devoured its fruit; so that it hath no strong rod to be a sceptre for ruling. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.