Chapter 19

Moreover take thou up³ a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

And say,¹ What [is] thy mother? A lioness: she lay down¹ among lions, she nourished¹⁴ her whelps among young lions.

And she brought up⁵⁵ one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned⁴ to catch² the prey; it devoured¹ men.

The nations also heard⁴ of him; he was taken⁸ in their pit, and they brought⁵⁵ him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

Now when she saw⁴ that she had waited,⁸ [and] her hope was lost,¹ then she took⁴ another of her whelps, [and] made¹ him a young lion.

And he went up and down¹⁰¹ among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned⁴ to catch² the prey, [and] devoured¹ men.

And he knew⁴ their desolate palaces, and he laid waste⁵² their cities; and the land was desolate,⁴ and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.

Then the nations set⁴ against him on every side from the provinces, and spread⁴ their net over him: he was taken⁸ in their pit.

And they put⁴ him in ward in chains, and brought⁵⁵ him to the king of Babylon: they brought⁵⁵ him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard¹¹ upon the mountains of Israel.

Thy mother [is] like a vine in thy blood, ¹⁸¹⁸ planted⁷ by the waters: she was fruitful⁶ and full of branches by reason of many waters.

And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule,⁶ and her stature was exalted⁴ among the thick branches, and she appeared¹¹ in her height with the multitude of her branches.

But she was plucked up⁹³ in fury, she was cast down⁹⁰ to the ground, and the east wind dried up⁵² her fruit: her strong rods were broken⁹⁸ and withered;¹ the fire consumed¹ them.

And now she [is] planted⁷ in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.

And fire is gone out⁴ of a rod of her branches, [which] hath devoured¹ her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod [to be] a sceptre to rule.² This [is] a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.