1 Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 and say, What was your mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in
the midst of the young lions she nourished her cubs. 3 She brought up one
of her cubs: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he
devoured men. 4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit;
and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. 5 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 He went up and down among the lions; he
became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.
7 He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was
desolate, and the fullness of it, because of the noise of his roaring.
8 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 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 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 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 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 Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
14 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.
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