1
Moreover take thou up[H5375] a lamentation[H7015] for the princes[H5387] of Israel[H3478],
2
And say[H559], What is thy mother?[H517] A lioness[H3833]: she lay down[H7257]among[H8432]lions[H738], she nourished[H7235] her whelps[H1482]among[H8432] young lions[H3715].
3
And she brought up[H5927]one[H259] of her whelps[H1482]: it became a young lion[H3715], and it learned[H3925] to catch[H2963] the prey[H2964]; it devoured[H398]men[H120].
4
The nations[H1471] also heard[H8085] of him; he was taken[H8610] in their pit[H7845], and they brought[H935] him with chains[H2397] unto the land[H776] of Egypt[H4714].
5
Now when she saw[H7200] that she had waited[H3176], and her hope[H8615] was lost[H6], then she took[H3947]another[H259] of her whelps[H1482], and made[H7760] him a young lion[H3715].
6
And he went up and down[H1980]among[H8432] the lions[H738], he became a young lion[H3715], and learned[H3925] to catch[H2963] the prey[H2964], and devoured[H398]men[H120].
7
And he knew[H3045] their desolate[H3456]palaces[H490], and he laid waste[H2717] their cities[H5892]; and the land[H776] was desolate[H3456], and the fulness[H4393] thereof, by the noise[H6963] of his roaring[H7581].
8
Then the nations[H1471]set[H5414] against him on every side[H5439] from the provinces[H4082], and spread[H6566] their net[H7568] over him: he was taken[H8610] in their pit[H7845].
9
And they put[H5414] him in ward[H5474] in chains[H2397], and brought[H935] him to the king[H4428] of Babylon[H894]: they brought[H935] him into holds[H4685], that his voice[H6963] should no more be heard[H8085] upon the mountains[H2022] of Israel[H3478].
10
Thy mother[H517] is like a vine[H1612] in thy blood[H1818], planted[H8362] by the waters[H4325]: she was fruitful[H6509] and full of branches[H6058] by reason of many[H7227]waters[H4325].
11
And she had strong[H5797]rods[H4294] for the sceptres[H7626] of them that bare rule[H4910], and her stature[H6967] was exalted[H1361] among the thick branches[H5688], and she appeared[H7200] in her height[H1363] with the multitude[H7230] of her branches[H1808].
12
But she was plucked up[H5428] in fury[H2534], she was cast down[H7993] to the ground[H776], and the east[H6921]wind[H7307] dried up[H3001] her fruit[H6529]: her strong[H5797]rods[H4294] were broken[H6561] and withered[H3001]; the fire[H784]consumed[H398] them.
13
And now she is planted[H8362] in the wilderness[H4057], in a dry[H6723] and thirsty[H6772]ground[H776].
14
And fire[H784] is gone out[H3318] of a rod[H4294] of her branches[H905], which hath devoured[H398] her fruit[H6529], so that she hath no strong[H5797]rod[H4294] to be a sceptre[H7626] to rule[H4910]. This is a lamentation[H7015], and shall be for a lamentation[H7015].