Moreover take thou up a lamentation
for the princes
of Israel
,
And say, What is thy mother
? A lioness
: she lay down
among lions
, she nourished
her whelps
among
young lions
.
And she brought up one
of her whelps
: it became a young lion
, and it learned
to catch
the prey
; it devoured
men
.
The nations also heard
of him; he was taken
in their pit
, and they brought
him with chains
unto the land
of Egypt
.
Now when she saw that she had waited
, and her hope
was lost
, then she took
another
of her whelps
, and made
him a young lion
.
And he went up and down among
the lions
, he became a young lion
, and learned
to catch
the prey
, and devoured
men
.
And he knew their desolate palaces
, and he laid waste
their cities
; and the land
was desolate
, and the fulness
thereof, by the noise
of his roaring
.
Then the nations set
against him on every side
from the provinces
, and spread
their net
over him: he was taken
in their pit
.
And they put him in ward
in chains
, and brought
him to the king
of Babylon
: they brought
him into holds
, that his voice
should no more be heard
upon the mountains
of Israel
.
Thy mother is like a vine
in thy blood
, planted
by the waters
: she was fruitful
and full of branches
by reason of many
waters
.
And she had strong rods
for the sceptres
of them that bare rule
, and her stature
was exalted
among the thick branches
, and she appeared
in her height
with the multitude
of her branches
.
But she was plucked up in fury
, she was cast down
to the ground
, and the east
wind
dried up
her fruit
: her strong
rods
were broken
and withered
; the fire
consumed
them.
And now she is planted in the wilderness
, in a dry
and thirsty
ground
.
And fire is gone out
of a rod
of her branches
, which hath devoured
her fruit
, so that she hath no strong
rod
to be a sceptre
to rule
. This is a lamentation
, and shall be for a lamentation
.