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1 “Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel 2 and say,
'Who was your mother? A lioness, she lived with a lion's son;
in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.
3 She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion, a lion who learned to tear apart his victims, and then he devoured men.
4 Then the nations heard about him. He was caught in their trap, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
5 Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, her expectation was now gone, so she took another of her cubs and raised him to become a young lion.
6 This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; he devoured men.
7 He seized their widows and ruined their cities.
The land and its fullness were abandoned because of the sound of his roaring. * Instead of He seized their widows , some ancient copies and many modern versions have He destroyed their fortresses .
8 But the nations came against him from the surrounding provinces;
they spread their nets over him. He was caught in their trap.
9 With hooks they put him in a cage and then they brought him to the king of Babylon.
They brought him to the strongholds so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.
10 Your mother was like a vine planted in your blood beside the water. † Instead of in your blood , some ancient copies and many modern versions have in your vineyard .
it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of water.
11 It had strong branches that were used for rulers' scepters,
and its size was exalted above the branches,
and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.
12 But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the earth, and an eastern wind dried out its fruit.
Its strong branches were broken off and withered and fire consumed them.
13 So now it is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst.
14 For fire went out from her large branches and consumed its fruit.
There is no strong branch on it, no scepter to rule.' This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation.”