"As for you, take up a alamentation
for the bprinces
of Israel
and say, ` 1What
was your mother
? A lioness
among
lions
! She lay
down
among
young
lions
, She reared
her cubs
.
`When she brought up one
of her cubs
, He became
a lion
, And he learned
to tear
his prey
; He devoured
men
.
`Then nations heard
about
him; He was captured
in their pit
, And they abrought
him with hooks
To the land
of Egypt
.
`When she saw, as she waited
, That her hope
was lost
, She took
1another
of her cubs
And made
him a young
lion
.
`And he awalked about among
the lions
; He became
a young
lion
, He learned
to tear
his prey
; He devoured
men
.
`He 1destroyed their 2fortified
towers
And laid
waste
their cities
; And the land
and its fullness
were appalled
Because
of the sound
of his roaring
.
`Then anations set
against
him On every
side
from their provinces
, And they spread
their net
over
him; He was captured
in their pit
.
` aThey put him in a cage
with hooks
And bbrought
him to the king
of Babylon
; They brought
him in hunting
nets
So
that his voice
would be heard
no
more
On the mountains
of Israel
.
`Your mother was alike a vine
in your 1vineyard, Planted
by the waters
; It was fruitful
and full
of branches
Because
of abundant
waters
.
`And it had 1 astrong
branches
fit for scepters
of rulers
, And its bheight
was raised
above
the clouds
So that it was seen
in its height
with the mass
of its branches
.
`But it was aplucked up in fury
; It was bcast
down
to the ground
; And the ceast
wind
dried
up its fruit
. Its 1 dstrong
branch
2was torn
off
So that 3it withered
; The fire
consumed
it.
`And now it is planted
in the awilderness
, In a dry
and thirsty
land
.
`And afire has gone
out from its branch
; It has consumed
its shoots
and fruit
, So that there is not in it a 1strong
branch
, A scepter
to rule
.' " This
is a lamentation
, and has become
a lamentation
.