Ezekiel 19
GOD’S WORD Translation
Funeral Songs for Israel’s Princes
19 Sing a funeral song for the princes of Israel. 2 Say:
Your mother was like a lioness.
She lay down among the lions.
She fed many cubs.
3 One of the cubs she raised became a young lion.
He learned to tear apart the animals he hunted.
He ate people.
4 The nations heard about him,
caught him in their pit,
and brought him with hooks to Egypt.
5 The lioness waited until she saw that there was no more hope.
Then she took another one of her cubs
and raised him into a young lion.
6 He became a young lion, and he prowled among the lions.
He learned to tear apart the animals he hunted.
He ate people.
7 He destroyed fortresses
and turned cities into wastelands.
The land and everyone living in it
were terrified by the sound of his roar.
8 The nations from every region came together against him.
They spread their net over him
and caught him in their pit.
9 With hooks they put him in a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They put him in prison
so that his roar wouldn’t be heard anymore
on the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was like a grapevine
that was planted near water.
It had a lot of fruit and many branches
because there was plenty of water.
11 Its branches were strong.
They were used to make scepters for kings.
It grew to be tall with many branches around it,
and everyone saw it because of its many branches.
12 But in anger it was uprooted and thrown to the ground.
The east wind dried up its fruit.
Its strong branches broke off.
They withered and were burned.
13 Now it is planted in the desert,
in a dry and waterless land.
14 Fire has spread from the vine’s main branch.
Fire has destroyed its fruit.
It no longer has any strong branches
that could be used as a king’s scepter.
This is a funeral song. It is to be used as a funeral song.
Ezekiel 19
New International Version
A Lament Over Israel’s Princes
19 “Take up a lament(A) concerning the princes(B) of Israel 2 and say:
“‘What a lioness(C) was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.(D)
3 She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
4 The nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks(E)
to the land of Egypt.(F)
5 “‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs(G)
and made him a strong lion.(H)
6 He prowled among the lions,
for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.(I)
7 He broke down[a] their strongholds
and devastated(J) their towns.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified by his roaring.
8 Then the nations(K) came against him,
those from regions round about.
They spread their net(L) for him,
and he was trapped in their pit.(M)
9 With hooks(N) they pulled him into a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon.(O)
They put him in prison,
so his roar(P) was heard no longer
on the mountains of Israel.(Q)
10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard[b](R)
planted by the water;(S)
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.(T)
11 Its branches were strong,
fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
and for its many branches.(U)
12 But it was uprooted(V) in fury
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind(W) made it shrivel,
it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
and fire consumed them.(X)
13 Now it is planted in the desert,(Y)
in a dry and thirsty land.(Z)
14 Fire spread from one of its main[c] branches
and consumed(AA) its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’(AB)
“This is a lament(AC) and is to be used as a lament.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 19:7 Targum (see Septuagint); Hebrew He knew
- Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood
- Ezekiel 19:14 Or from under its
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