¹ And lift· thou^◦ ·up a lamentation to^▵ the chiefs of Israel,

² and say, What is thy mother? An old·​·lioness; she couched between lions, in the midst of young·​·lions she multiplied her whelps.

³ And she brought·​·up one of her whelps; he became a young·​·lion, and he learned to prey·​·on the prey; he devoured men^*.

⁴ And nations heard of^▵ him; he was caught in their ditch; and they brought him with hooks to^▵ the land of Egypt.

⁵ And she saw that she had hoped, and what she waited·​·for had perished, and she took one of her whelps, and set him for a young·​·lion.

⁶ And he walked in the midst of the lions; he became a young·​·lion, and learned to prey·​·on the prey; he devoured men.

⁷ And he violated^* their widows, and he made·​·a·​·waste of their cities; and the land was·​·desolate, and the fullness, by the voice of his roaring.

⁸ And the nations put^◦ themselves against him all around from the provinces, and spread their net over him; he was caught in their ditch.

⁹ And they put^◦ him in a closed place with hooks, and brought him to^▵ the king of Babylon; they brought him into forts, so·​·that his voice should no^◦ more^◦ be heard in^▵ the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰ Thy mother is as a vine in thy likeness^*, planted^◦ by^◦ the waters; she was·​·fruitful and the bough was from many waters.

¹¹ And she had^◦ strong rods for^◦ the scepters of the rulers, and her stature was·​·tall over between intertwined·​·branches, and she was seen in her loftiness in the multitude of her offshoots.

¹² But she was plucked·​·up in fury, she was cast to the earth, and the wind of the east dried·​·up her fruit; the rod of her strength was pulled·​·off^◦ and dried·​·up; the fire devoured it.

¹³ And now she is planted^◦ in the wilderness, in an arid and thirsty land.

¹⁴ And fire is gone·​·out of a rod of her branches^* which has devoured her fruit, and with her there is no^◦ strong rod to be a scepter to rule. It^◦ is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.