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

¶ And 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 thou shalt say, How hast thy mother, the lioness, lain down among the lions? She raised her whelps among 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 it learned to catch the prey and to devour 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.

The Gentiles also heard of him; he was taken in their trap, and they brought him with chains unto 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.

Now 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.

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 and 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 widows, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fullness thereof, by the voice 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 Gentiles 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 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.

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 like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters, bearing fruit and spreading forth branches by reason of the 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 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.

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 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.

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

And now she 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 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.