A Sad Song for Israel
‘Your mother was like a female lion.
She lay down among the young lions.
She had many cubs.
3 When she brought up one of her cubs,
he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the animals he hunted,
and he ate people.
4 The 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.
6 This cub roamed among the lions.
He was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the animals he hunted,
and he ate people.
7 He tore down their strong places
and destroyed their cities.
The land and everything in it
were terrified by the sound of his roar.
8 Then the nations came against him
from areas all around,
and they spread their net over him.
He was trapped in their pit.
9 Then 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.
11 The 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.
12 But 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.
13 Now the vine is planted in the desert,
in a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire 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.”