The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 19 The Lioness's Lament; The Parable of the Vine

 The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 19

The Lioness's Lament; The Parable of the Vine

1 And you raise a lamentation over the princes of Israel.

2 And say: Who was your mother? A lioness lying among lions, she raised her cubs among the young lions.

3 And she raised one of her cubs, which became a young lion and learned to catch prey; and devoured men.

4 And when the nations heard of him, he was caught in his pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

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

6 And this one, continually walking among the lions, became a young lion and learned to catch prey and devoured men.

7 And he knew their palaces, and destroyed their cities; and the land was laid waste, and its fullness, at the sound of his roar. 

8 Then the people of the surrounding provinces gathered against him, spread their net over him, and he was caught in his own pit.

9 They bound him with hooks and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into the strongholds, so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a vine in your distress, planted by the waters; it yielded fruit and was full of branches because of the abundant waters.

11 It had strong branches for scepters of rulers, and its stature grew tall among the thick branches; it was seen in its height with the multitude of its branches.

12 But it was uprooted in fury, it was brought down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit; its strong branches were broken and withered, the fire consumed them. 

13 And now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land.

14 And from a branch of its boughs came forth fire that consumed its fruit, so that there is no strong branch in it, no cedar to rule over it. This is a lamentation, and it will serve as a lamentation.