Ezekiel 19

NIV — New International Version Bible (NIV)

NASB — New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Verse 1

“Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel

“As for you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel

Verse 2

and say:

“‘What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.

and say,

‘^[a]What was your mother?
A lioness among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
She reared her cubs.

Verse 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.

‘When she brought up one of her cubs,
He became a lion,
And he learned to tear his prey;
He devoured men.

Verse 4

The nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.

‘Then nations heard about him;
He was captured in their pit,
And they brought him with hooks
To the land of Egypt.

Verse 5

“‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a strong lion.

‘When she saw, as she waited,
That her hope was lost,
She took ^[b]another of her cubs
And made him a young lion.

Verse 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.

‘And he walked about among the lions;
He became a young lion,
He learned to tear his prey;
He devoured men.

Verse 7

He broke down^[a] their strongholds
and devastated their towns.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified by his roaring.

‘He ^[c]destroyed their ^[d]fortified towers
And laid waste their cities;
And the land and its fullness were appalled
Because of the sound of his roaring.

Verse 8

Then the nations came against him,
those from regions round about.
They spread their net for him,
and he was trapped in their pit.

‘Then nations set against him
On every side from their provinces,
And they spread their net over him;
He was captured in their pit.

Verse 9

With hooks they pulled him into a cage
    and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They put him in prison,
    so his roar was heard no longer
    on the mountains of Israel.

‘They put him in a cage with hooks
And brought him to the king of Babylon;
They brought him in hunting nets
So that his voice would be heard no more
On the mountains of Israel.

Verse 10

“‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard^[b]
planted by the water;
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.

‘Your mother was like a vine in your ^[e]vineyard,
Planted by the waters;
It was fruitful and full of branches
Because of abundant waters.

Verse 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.

‘And it had ^[f]strong branches fit for scepters of rulers,
And its height was raised above the clouds
So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.

Verse 12

But it was uprooted in fury
    and thrown to the ground.
The east wind made it shrivel,
    it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
    and fire consumed them.

‘But it was plucked up in fury;
It was cast down to the ground;
And the east wind dried up its fruit.
Its ^[g]strong branch ^[h]was torn off
So that ^[i]it withered;
The fire consumed it.

Verse 13

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

‘And now it is planted in the wilderness,
In a dry and thirsty land.

Verse 14

Fire spread from one of its main^[c] branches
and consumed its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’

“This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.”

‘And fire has gone out from its branch;
It has consumed its shoots and fruit,
So that there is not in it a ^[j]strong branch,
A scepter to rule.’”

This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.