1
Take up now a song of grief for the ruler of Israel, and say,
2
What was your mother? Like a she-lion among lions, stretched out among the young lions she gave food to her little ones.
3
And one of her little ones came to growth under her care, and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.
4
And the nations had news of him; he was taken in the hole they had made: and, pulling him with hooks, they took him into the land of Egypt.
5
Now when she saw that her hope was made foolish and gone, she took another of her little ones and made him into a young lion.
6
And he went up and down among the lions and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.
7
And he sent destruction on their widows and made waste their towns; and the land and everything in it became waste because of the loud sound of his voice.
8
Then the nations came against him from the kingdoms round about: their net was stretched over him and he was taken in the hole they had made.
9
They made him a prisoner with hooks, and took him to the king of Babylon; they put him in the strong place so that his voice might be sounding no longer on the mountains of Israel.
10
Your mother was in comparison like a vine, planted by the waters: she was fertile and full of branches because of the great waters.
11
And she had a strong rod for a rod of authority for the rulers, and it became tall among the clouds and it was seen lifted up among the number of its branches.