New Century Version NCV
Good News Translation GNT
1 "Sing a funeral song for the leaders of Israel.
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The Lord told me to sing this song of sorrow for two princes of Israel:
2 Say: 'Your mother was like a female lion. She lay down among the young lions. She had many cubs.
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What a lioness your mother was! She raised her cubs among the fierce male lions.
3 When she brought up one of her cubs, he became a strong lion. He learned to tear the animals he hunted, and he ate people.
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She raised a cub and taught him to hunt; he learned to eat people.
4 The nations heard about him. He was trapped in their pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
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The nations heard about him and trapped him in a pit. With hooks they dragged him off to Egypt.
5 "'The mother lion waited and saw that there was no hope for her cub. So she took another one of her cubs and made him a strong lion.
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She waited until she saw all hope was gone. Then she raised another of her cubs, and he grew into a fierce lion.
6 This cub roamed among the lions. He was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the animals he hunted, and he ate people.
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When he was full-grown, he prowled with the other lions. He too learned to hunt and eat people.
7 He tore down their strong places and destroyed their cities. The land and everything in it were terrified by the sound of his roar.
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He wrecked forts, he ruined towns. The people of the land were terrified every time he roared.
8 Then the nations came against him from areas all around, and they spread their net over him. He was trapped in their pit.
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The nations gathered to fight him; people came from everywhere. They spread their hunting nets and caught him in their trap.
9 Then they put him into a cage with chains and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him into prison so his roar could not be heard again on the mountains of Israel.
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They put him in a cage and took him to the king of Babylonia. They kept him under guard, so that his roar would never be heard again on the hills of Israel.
10 "'Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted beside the water. The vine had many branches and gave much fruit, because there was plenty of water.
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Your mother was like a grapevine planted near a stream. Because there was plenty of water, the vine was covered with leaves and fruit.
11 The vine had strong branches, good enough for a king's scepter. The vine became tall among the thick branches. And it was seen, because it was tall with many branches.
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Its branches were strong and grew to be royal scepters. The vine grew tall enough to reach the clouds; everyone saw how leafy and tall it was.
12 But it was pulled up by its roots in anger and thrown down to the ground. The east wind dried it up. Its fruit was torn off. Its strong branches were broken off and burned up.
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But angry hands pulled it up by the roots and threw it to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit. Its branches were broken off; they dried up and were burned.
13 Now the vine is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land.
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Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and waterless land.
14 Fire spread from the vine's main branch, destroying its fruit. There is not a strong branch left on it that could become a scepter for a king.' This is a funeral song; it is to be used as a funeral song."
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The stem of the vine caught fire; fire burned up its branches and fruit. The branches will never again be strong, will never be royal scepters. This is a song of sorrow; it has been sung again and again.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.