The last kings of Judah
1 As for you, son of man, intone a lamentation for the princes of Is
rael.
2 Say: A lioness among lions was your mother! Crouching among the cubs
she nursed her whelps.
3 One of these she pushed forward and he grew to be a young lion, able
to tear his prey and become a man-eater.
4 But the nations heard about him and he was trapped in their pit; and
they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
5 When she saw that her hope had come to nothing, she took another of
her cubs and made him a young lion.
6 He strutted among the others for he had become a strong lion, able to
tear his prey and be a man-eater.
7 He destroyed their strongholds and ravaged their towns. The country
and its inhabitants were alarmed at the sound of his roar.
8 But the nations came against him from the regions round about. They
spread their net over him and caught him in their pit.
9 They put him in a cage with hooks and brought him to the king of
Babylon. There he was put in custody so that his roar was no longer
heard in the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was like the vine of a vineyard planted near water. It
became fruitful and leafy from being so well-watered.
11 It pro duced a vigorous branch that became a royal scepter tower ing
above the foliage. It was outstanding for its height and its numerous
branches.
12 But the vine was uprooted in fury and cast down to the ground. The
east wind dried it up and stripped it of its fruit. Its vigorous branch
withered and was burned by fire.
13 It is now planted in the desert, in an arid land of drought.
14 Fire from its stem has destroyed its branches and fruit. No vigorous
branch or royal scepter has been left.
This is a lament that people will sing.
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Comments Ezekiel, Chapter 19
• 19.1 In this comparison, the lioness is the Jewish nation. The cubs
are the kings: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.