English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
1
Sing the blues over the princes of Israel.
2 and say: What was your mother? A lioness! Among lions she crouched; in the midst of young lions she reared her cubs.
2
Say: What a lioness was your mother among lions! She crouched in a pride of young lions. Her cubs grew large.
3 And she brought up one of her cubs; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men.
3
She reared one of her cubs to maturity, a robust young lion. He learned to hunt. He ate men.
4 The nations heard about him; he was caught in their pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
4
Nations sounded the alarm. He was caught in a trap. They took him with hooks and dragged him to Egypt.
5 When she saw that she waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.
5
When the lioness saw she was luckless, that her hope for that cub was gone, She took her other cub and made him a strong young lion.
6 He prowled among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men,
6
He prowled with the lions, a robust young lion. He learned to hunt. He ate men.
7 and seized their widows. He laid waste their cities, and the land was appalled and all who were in it at the sound of his roaring.
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He rampaged through their defenses, left their cities in ruins. The country and everyone in it was terrorized by the roars of the lion.
8 Then the nations set against him from provinces on every side; they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.
8
The nations got together to hunt him. Everyone joined the hunt. They set out their traps and caught him.
9 With hooks they put him in a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into custody, that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.
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They put a wooden collar on him and took him to the king of Babylon. No more would that voice be heard disturbing the peace in the mountains of Israel!
10 Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard planted by the water, fruitful and full of branches by reason of abundant water.
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Here's another way to put it: Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard, transplanted alongside streams of water, Luxurious in branches and grapes because of the ample water.
11 Its strong stems became rulers' scepters; it towered aloft among the thick boughs; it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.
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It grew sturdy branches fit to be carved into a royal scepter. It grew high, reaching into the clouds. Its branches filled the horizon, and everyone could see it.
12 But the vine was plucked up in fury, cast down to the ground; the east wind dried up its fruit; they were stripped off and withered. As for its strong stem, fire consumed it.
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Then it was ripped up in a rage and thrown to the ground. The hot east wind shriveled it up and stripped its fruit. The sturdy branches dried out, fit for nothing but kindling.
13 Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
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Now it's a stick stuck out in the desert, a bare stick in a desert of death,
14 And fire has gone out from the stem of its shoots, has consumed its fruit, so that there remains in it no strong stem, no scepter for ruling.This is a lamentation and has become a lamentation.
14
Good for nothing but making fires, campfires in the desert. Not a hint now of those sturdy branches fit for use as a royal scepter! (This is a sad song, a text for singing the blues.)
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.