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v1
“And you, raise a lament about ^[Or “over”] the leaders of Israel,
v2
and you must say, ‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions. She lay down in the midst of young lions, and she reared her lion cubs.
v3
And she raised up one from her cubs; he became a fierce lion, and he learned to tear prey; he ate ^[Or “devoured”] humans. ^[Hebrew “human”]
v4
And nations heard about him; in their pit he was caught, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
v5
And she saw ^[Or “realized”] that she was waiting in vain; her hope was destroyed, and she took one from her cubs, and she made him a fierce lion.
v6
And he walked about in the midst of lions; he became a fierce lion, and he learned to tear prey; he ate ^[Or “devoured”] humans. ^[Hebrew “human”]
v7
And he knew their widows, ^[Or “ravished/raped”; or “he ravaged their strongholds”] and he devastated their cities, and the land was appalled, and everyone in it ^[Literally “its fullness”] at the sound of his roar.
v8
And nations set out against him from the surrounding provinces, ^[Literally “all around from the provinces”] and they spread their net over him, and he was caught in their pit.
v9
And they put him in a collar with hooks, and they brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into ^[Hebrew “in”] a prison, so that his voice would not be heard any longer ^[Literally “longer”] on the mountains of Israel.
v10
Your mother was like the vine in your vineyard; ^[Or “in the vineyard”] planted fruitfully ^[Literally “fruitful”] beside water, and it was full of branches from many waters. ^[Or “from waters abundant/many”]
v11
And she produced branches of strength ^[Literally “they became to her branches/rods of strength”] to ^[Or “for”] scepters of rulers; its height became tall between ^[Or “among”] thick foliage, and it was seen ^[Or “visible”] because of its tallness among the abundance of its branches.
v12
But it was uprooted in rage; it was thrown to the earth, and the east wind dried up its fruit; they were stripped off, and its strong branch dried up; fire consumed it.
v13
And now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. ^[Literally “a land of dryness and thirst”]
v14
And so fire has gone out from the stem of its branches; its fruit it has consumed, and there was not in it a strong branch, ^[Literally “a branch of strength”] a scepter for ruling.‘” This is a lament, and it will be used as a lament. ^[Literally “she is for a lament”]