Ezekiel Chapter 19
A Funeral Song for Israel’s Princes
1 “Sing this funeral song for Israel’s officials:
2 ‘What was your mother?
A lioness among lions!
She lay down among young lions;
she raised her cubs.
3 When she brought up one of her cubs,
he became a young lion,
learned to catch prey,
and devoured people.
Ezek 19:1-3
4 Then nations heard about him.
They captured him in their pit
and took him with hooks to Egypt.
5 ‘As time went on, she saw
that her hopes for him were lost,
and took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.
6 He walked among the lions;
he became a young lion,
earned to catch prey,
and devoured people.
Ezek 19:4-6
7 He destroyed their fortresses
and laid waste their towns;
everybody in the land
was terrified at his roaring.
8 Then nations attacked him
on every side from their provinces.
They threw their net over him
and captured him in their pit.
9 With hooks they put him in a cage
and took him to the king of Babylon.
They took him in hunting nets
so people couldn’t hear him anymore
on the mountains in Israel.
Ezek 19:7-9
10 ‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,
planted near water.
It was fruitful with lots of branches
because it had plenty of water.
11 Its strong stems became rulers’ scepters.
It was taller than the clouds,
so it could be seen with its mass of branches.
12 But it was plucked up in fury
and dashed to the ground.
The east wind dried up its fruit
and tore off and withered its strong branches.
Fire burned it up. Ezek 19:10-12
13 Now it stands in the wilderness,
in a dry, thirsty land.
14 The fire that broke out in its branches
and burned up its fruit
didn’t leave any branch
strong enough to be a ruler’s scepter.’”