2 näin: -- Mikä olikaan äitisi! Naarasleijona leijonien joukossa. Se lepäsi nuorten urosten keskellä pentujensa kanssa.

3 Yhtä poikastaan se ennen muita vaali, ja siitä kasvoi komea leijona, se oppi saalistamaan ja raatelemaan, ihmisiäkin se söi.

4 Mutta kansat saivat kuulla siitä, ja se pyydystettiin kuoppaan ja vietiin nenärenkaasta taluttaen Egyptin maahan.

5 Kun emo näki, ettei toivoa ollut, että odotus oli turhaa, se otti toisen poikasistaan ja kasvatti sen.

6 Poika käyskenteli urosten joukossa, ja siitä kasvoi komea leijona. Se oppi saalistamaan ja raatelemaan, ihmisiäkin se söi.

7 Se tuhosi heidän palatsinsa, repi hajalle kaupungit. Kaikki maan asukkaat vapisivat, kun se ärjyi.

8 Mutta kansat kokosivat joukkonsa, kaikkialta tuli väkeä, ja sen tielle viritettiin ansaverkot, se pyydystettin kuoppaan.

9 Se sai kaulaansa kahleet ja nenäänsä renkaan, ja se vietiin Babylonian kuninkaan luo ja teljettiin luolaan, ettei sen ääntä enää kuultaisi Israelin vuorilla.

10 Sinun äitisi oli kuin viiniköynnös, veden äärelle istutettu. Se kantoi hedelmää ja vihannoi, olihan sillä vettä.

11 Siihen kasvoi vankkoja oksia, valtikaksi kelpaavia, ja sen runko kohosi pilvien keskeen. Se näkyi kauas, niin korkea se oli, niin tuuhea ja vihanta.

12 Mutta vihaisesti se temmattiin irti ja viskattiin maahan, ja kuuma aavikkotuuli kuivetti sen, siitä revittiin hedelmät, ja sen vankat oksat kuivettuivat ja joutuivat tuleen.

13 Nyt se on istutettu autiomaahan, vettä janoavaan hietikkoon.

1 Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2 and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her whelps. 3 And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men. 4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt. 5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then 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 he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men. 7 And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring. 8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit. 9 And they put him in a cage with hooks, 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 like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. 11 And it had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their 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 off and withered; the fire consumed them. 13 And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. 14 And fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.