International Standard Version

Ezekiel 19

1 “Now as for you, publish ^a this mourning psalm about Israel’s leaders.

2 Tell them: ‘What a lioness your mother was among lions! She reared her cubs in the midst of fierce young males.

3 She raised one cub in particular, teaching that fierce lion to become a hunter-prowler— to eat human beings.

4 The nations heard about him. He had become caught in their trap. ^b They brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

5 When she learned that her plans had been frustrated and that her hopes were dashed, she took another of her cubs and turned him into a fierce lion.

6 He prowled around among the lions, became a strong, young lion, and learned to become a hunter-prowler— to eat human beings.

7 He raped ^c the women, devastating their towns. The land was made desolate, and all the while the land was filled with the sound of his roaring.

8 The surrounding nations attacked. They tossed their net over him, and he was caught in their trap. ^d

9 They imprisoned him in a cage with hooks and brought him to the king of Babel. Then they placed him in their dungeon where his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

10 ‘Your mother was like a vine entwining a pomegranate, ^e planted by water, full of fruit, and full of branches because it had been watered generously.

11 Strong were its boughs, suitable for use in the scepter of a ruler. It reached to the clouds, noticeable because of its height and its abundant branches.

12 Yet in anger it was uprooted and cast down to the earth. An east wind desiccated its fruit; its strong branches broke off and withered, and a fire consumed them.

13 Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land!

14 Fire had burned through its branches, consuming its shoots and fruits. No strong branches remain in it, and there is no scepter to rule!’ “This is a lamentation, and it is to be used in mourning.”