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.
