Ezekiel

The Lioness and Her Cubs

As for you, son of man, deliver a lament for the princes of Israel.

Say: A lioness among lions was your mother! Crouching among the cubs, she nursed her whelps.

One of them she pushed forward; and he grew into a young lion, capable of tearing his prey and devoured humans.

But the nations heard about him and he was trapped in their pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

When she saw that her hope had failed, she took another of her cubs and made him into a young lion.

He strutted among the others, for he had become a strong lion, capable of tearing his prey; he devoured people.

He destroyed their strongholds and ravaged their towns. The country and its inhabitants were startled by the sound of his roar.

But the nations came against him from the surrounding regions. They spread their net over him and trapped him in their pit.

They put him in a cage with hooks and took him to the king of Babylon. There, he was placed in custody, so his roar was no longer heard in the mountains of Israel.

The Vine Uprooted

Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard planted near water. It became fruitful and leafy because of the ample watering.

It grew a strong branch that became a royal scepter towering above the leaves. It was notable for its height and its many branches.

But the vine was uprooted in rage and cast down to the ground. The east wind dried it out and stripped it of its fruit. Its strong branch withered and was burned by fire.

It is now planted in the desert, in a dry land of drought.

Fire from its stem has destroyed its branches and fruit. No strong branch or royal scepter remains. This is a lament that people will sing.