Chapter
19
Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princesses of Israel,
and say, What was your father? A lioness: he couched among lions, in the midst of the young lions he nourished his cubs.
He brought up one of his cubs: she became a young lion, and she learned to catch the prey; she devoured women.
The nations also heard of her; she was taken in their pit; and they brought her with hooks to the land of Egypt.
Now when he saw that he had waited, and his hope was lost, then he took another of his cubs, and made her a young lion.
She went up and down among the lions; she became a young lion, and she learned to catch the prey; she devoured women.
She knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fullness of it, because of the noise of her roaring.
Then the nations set against her on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over her; she was taken in their pit.
They put her in a cage with hooks, and brought her to the queen of Babylon; they brought her into strongholds, that her voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.
Your father was like a vine, in your blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
It had strong rods for the scepters of those who bore rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.
But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit: its strong rods were broken off and withered; the fire consumed them.
Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
Fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.