A Lament for the Princes of Israel 1 UDB Yahweh said to me, BSB BSB: “As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel
2 UDB "Ezekiel, sing a sad funeral song which will be a parable about the leaders of Israel. Say to the Israelite people, 'It is as though your mother had been a brave female lion who raised her cubs among other lions. BSB BSB: and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs.
3 UDB She taught one of them to hunt for other animals to kill, and he even learned to kill and eat people. BSB BSB: She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.
4 UDB When people from other nations heard about him, they trapped him in a pit. Then they used hooks to drag him to Egypt. BSB BSB: When the nations heard of him, he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they led him away to the land of Egypt.
5 UDB His mother waited for him to return, but soon she stopped hoping for that to happen. So she raised another cub who also became very fierce. BSB BSB: When she saw that she had waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.
6 UDB He hunted along with other lions for animals to kill, and he even learned to kill and eat people. BSB BSB: He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.
7 UDB He mistreated his victims' widows, and he destroyed cities. When he roared loudly, everyone was terrified and abandoned everything they owned. BSB BSB: He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring.
8 UDB So people of other nations planned to kill him; and men came from many places to spread out a net for him. They caught him in it. BSB BSB: Then the nations set out against him from the provinces on every side. They spread their net over him; he was trapped in their pit.
9 UDB They pulled him with hooks in his flesh and put him into an iron cage, then they took him to the king of Babylon. There they locked him up so that the sound of his voice could never be heard echoing on the hills of Israel.' BSB BSB: With hooks they caged him and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into captivity so that his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.
10 UDB 'It is as though your mother were a grapevine fertilized in blood, and growing up beside a stream. There was plenty of water, so it had lots of branches and produced a lot of grapes. BSB BSB: Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundant waters.
11 UDB That grapevine grew and became taller than all the nearby trees; everyone could see that it was very strong and healthy. And those branches were good for making scepters that symbolize the power of a king. BSB BSB: It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches, conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage.
12 UDB But Yahweh became very angry, so he pulled up the vine by its roots and threw it on the ground, where the very hot winds from the desert dried up all its fruit. The strong branches wilted and were burned in a fire. BSB BSB: But it was uprooted in fury, cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped off and they withered; the fire consumed them.
13 UDB Now Yahweh has planted that vine in a hot, dry desert. BSB BSB: Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
14 UDB A fire started to burn its stem, and then started to burn the branches; it burned all the grapes. Now not even one strong branch remains; they will never become scepters for a king.' This funeral song must be sung very sadly." BSB BSB: Fire has gone out from its main branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”
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