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up a lament for the princes of Israel, 2 and say:
‘What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among the lions;
she reared her cubs among the young lions.
3 She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a young lion.
He learned to catch prey,
and he devoured men.
4 When the nations heard about him,
he was trapped in their pit.
They led him away with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
5 ‘When she saw that she waited,
for her hope was lost.
So she took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.
6 He prowled among the lions,
and he became a young lion.
He learned to catch prey,
and he devoured men.
7 He smashed through their strongholds,
and laid waste their cities.
The land and everything in it
was terrified by the sound of his roaring.
8 Then the nations from the provinces on every side
came out against him.
They spread their net over him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
9 With hooks they forced him into a cage,
and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They confined him in a fortress prison,
so his roar could no longer be heard
on the mountains of Israel.
10 ‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,
planted by the waters;
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of plentiful water.
11 It had strong branches,
fit for a ruler’s sceptre.
It towered aloft among the leafy trees,
readily seen for its height and its many branches.
12 But it was uprooted in fury,
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind shrivelled its fruit,
and its strong branches were torn off and withered;
fire consumed them.
13 Now it is planted in the wilderness,
in a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire has gone out from its main branches,
and devoured its fruit.
It no longer has a strong branch,
fit for a sceptre to rule with’.
This is a lament, and it is to be used as a lament.”