1 And thou, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,2 and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps in the midst of the young lions.3 And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.4 And the nations heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings into the land of Egypt.5 And when she saw that she had waited {and} her hope was lost, she took another of her whelps, {and} made him a young lion.6 And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.7 And he knew their {desolate} palaces, and he laid waste their cities, so that the land was desolate, and all it contained, by the noise of his roaring.8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.9 And they put him in a cage with nose-rings, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.10 Thy mother was as a vine, in thy rest, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.11 And it had strong rods for sceptres of them that bear rule, and its stature was exalted between the thick boughs; and it was conspicuous by its height with the multitude of its branches.12 But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit; its strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.13 And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground:14 and a fire is gone out of a rod of its branches, {which} hath devoured its fruit; so that it hath no strong rod to be a sceptre for ruling. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

1 Verder, hef jy 'n klaaglied aan oor die vorste van Israel,2 en sê: Wat was jou moeder? 'n Leeuin: tussen die leeus het sy gelê, onder die jong leeus het sy haar kleintjies grootgemaak.3 En sy het een van haar kleintjies opgekweek, 'n jong leeu het hy geword; en hy het geleer om prooi te verskeur, hy het mense geëet.4 En die nasies het van hom gehoor; in hulle vangkuil is hy gevang, en hulle het hom met hake na Egipteland gebring.5 En toe sy sien dat sy teleurgestel is, haar hoop verlore, het sy 'n ander een van haar kleintjies geneem, hom 'n jong leeu gemaak.6 En hy het rondgeloop onder die leeus, het 'n jong leeu geword en geleer om prooi te verskeur; hy het mense geëet.7 Hy het hulle weduwees beken en hulle stede verwoes; ja, die land en sy volheid was verskrik vanweë die geluid van sy gebrul.8 Toe het die nasies rondom uit die lande hulle teen hom opgestel en hul net oor hom uitgesprei; in hulle vangkuil is hy gevang.9 En hulle het hom in 'n hok gesit aan hake en hom na die koning van Babel gebring; hulle het hom in vestings gebring, dat sy stem nie meer gehoor sou word op die berge van Israel nie.10 Jou moeder was soos 'n wingerdstok in jou rustige tyd; by waters was dit geplant; dit was vrugbaar en vol ranke vanweë die baie waters.11 En dit het sterk takke gekry om as septers vir heersers te dien, en sy top was hoog tussen die digte takke in; en dit het hom vertoon in sy hoogte, in die menigte van sy ranke.12 Maar dit is in grimmigheid uitgeruk, teen die grond gegooi, en die oostewind het sy vrugte laat verdroog; hulle is afgeruk en het verdroog; sy sterk tak -- die vuur het dit verteer.13 En nou is dit geplant in die woestyn, in 'n dor en dorstige land.14 En vuur het uitgegaan uit sy tak vol lote, dit het sy vrugte verteer; en geen sterk tak is daarin as septer om te heers nie. 'n Klaaglied is dit, en 'n klaaglied het dit geword.