A Lament for the Princes of Israel 1 WBS Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, BSB BSB: “As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel
2 WBS And say, What is thy mother: A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young 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 WBS And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men. 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 WBS The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains to the land of 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 WBS 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. 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 WBS And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. BSB BSB: He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.
7 WBS And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fullness of it, by the noise of his roaring. 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 WBS Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit. 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 WBS And they put him in custody 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. 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 WBS 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. 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 WBS And she had strong rods for the scepters of them that bore rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her hight with the multitude of her branches. 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 WBS 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. 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 WBS And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. BSB BSB: Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
14 WBS And fire hath gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. 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.”