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Ezekiel 19
New Catholic Bible
Ezekiel 19
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 19[a]
Allegory of the Lions[b]
1 Raise a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2 and say:
What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among the young lions,
rearing her cubs.
3 She raised up one of her cubs;
he grew into a young lion,
and he learned to tear apart his prey;
he devoured men.
4 Then the nations sounded an alarm against him,
and he was caught in their pit.
They dragged him off with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
5 When his mother saw that her hopes were thwarted
and her expectations would not be fulfilled,
she took another of her cubs
and made a young lion of him.
6 He prowled among the lions
and grew into a young lion.
He learned to seize his prey;
he devoured men.
7 He ravaged their strongholds
and laid waste their cities.
The land and all of its inhabitants were terrified
at the sound of his roars.
8 The nations came forth against him
from the surrounding regions.
They spread their net over him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
9 With hooks they dragged him into a cage
and took him away to the king of Babylon.
He was imprisoned, and his roars were no longer heard
on the mountains of Israel.
Allegory of the Vine Branch
10 Your mother was like a vine
planted by the water.
It was fruitful and full of branches
because of the abundant water.
11 Its branches were strong,
suitable for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered in stately height
among the dense foliage.
It was conspicuous for its height
and its many branches.
12 However, it was uprooted in fury
and thrown to the ground.
Its strong branches became withered
and were consumed by fire.
13 Now it has been transplanted to the desert,
to a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire burst forth from its stem,
devouring its branches and fruit.
It no longer has any strong branch
that could serve as a ruler’s scepter.
This is a lamentation, and it is used for this purpose.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 19:1 Israel had fallen far, but it had never divinized its kings. Ezekiel’s lament here refers to Zedekiah, last king of Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 19:1 The lioness represents the nations, and the cubs its kings. Two sadly exemplary destinies are set forth: that of Jehoahaz and that of Jehoiachin. The first was deposed by Pharaoh Neco and taken to Egypt (2 Ki 23:34); the second reigned only three months and was exiled to Babylon (2 Ki 24:8-17; 25:27-30). King Jehoiakim, whose reign was less fleeting and who died a natural death, is not mentioned; his lot did not lend itself to a practical lesson!
Ezekiel 19
New International Version
Ezekiel 19
New International Version
A Lament Over Israel’s Princes
19 “Take up a lament(A) concerning the princes(B) of Israel 2 and say:
“‘What a lioness(C) was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.(D)
3 She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
4 The nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks(E)
to the land of Egypt.(F)
5 “‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs(G)
and made him a strong lion.(H)
6 He prowled among the lions,
for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.(I)
7 He broke down[a] their strongholds
and devastated(J) their towns.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified by his roaring.
8 Then the nations(K) came against him,
those from regions round about.
They spread their net(L) for him,
and he was trapped in their pit.(M)
9 With hooks(N) they pulled him into a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon.(O)
They put him in prison,
so his roar(P) was heard no longer
on the mountains of Israel.(Q)
10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard[b](R)
planted by the water;(S)
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.(T)
11 Its branches were strong,
fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
and for its many branches.(U)
12 But it was uprooted(V) in fury
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind(W) made it shrivel,
it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
and fire consumed them.(X)
13 Now it is planted in the desert,(Y)
in a dry and thirsty land.(Z)
14 Fire spread from one of its main[c] branches
and consumed(AA) its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’(AB)
“This is a lament(AC) and is to be used as a lament.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 19:7 Targum (see Septuagint); Hebrew He knew
- Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood
- Ezekiel 19:14 Or from under its
Ezekiel 19
King James Version
Ezekiel 19
King James Version
19 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.
3 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.
4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains 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 learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.
7 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, 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 ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
10 Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
11 And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.
12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.
13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
New International Version (NIV) 
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