Ezekiel 19

A Sad Song for Israel

1“Sing a funeral song for the leaders of Israel.

2Say:

‘Your mother was like a female lion.

She lay down among the young lions.

She had many cubs.

3When she brought up one of her cubs,

he became a strong lion.

He learned to tear the animals he hunted,

and he ate people.

4The nations heard about him.

He was trapped in their pit,

and they brought him with hooks

to the land of Egypt.

5“ ‘The mother lion waited and saw

that there was no hope for her cub.

So she took another one of her cubs

and made him a strong lion.

6This cub roamed among the lions.

He was now a strong lion.

He learned to tear the animals he hunted,

and he ate people.

7He tore down their strong places

and destroyed their cities.

The land and everything in it

were terrified by the sound of his roar.

8Then the nations came against him

from areas all around,

and they spread their net over him.

He was trapped in their pit.

9Then they put him into a cage with chains

and brought him to the king of Babylon.

They put him into prison

so his roar could not be heard again

on the mountains of Israel.

10“ ‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,

planted beside the water.

The vine had many branches and gave much fruit,

because there was plenty of water.

11The vine had strong branches,

good enough for a king’s scepter.

The vine became tall

among the thick branches.

And it was seen, because it was tall

with many branches.

12But it was pulled up by its roots in anger

and thrown down to the ground.

The east wind dried it up.

Its fruit was torn off.

Its strong branches were broken off

and burned up.

13Now the vine is planted in the desert,

in a dry and thirsty land.

14Fire spread from the vine’s main branch,

destroying its fruit.

There is not a strong branch left on it

that could become a scepter for a king.’

This is a funeral song; it is to be used as a funeral song.”

The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Published by: Thomas Nelson, Inc.