The Prophet Ezekiel

⭑ Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 19 -

Yahweh said to me,

“Ezekiel, sing a sad funeral song which will be a parable about the leaders of Israel. Say to the Israelite people, ’It is as though your mother had been a brave female lion who raised her cubs among other lions.

She taught one of them to hunt for other animals to kill, and he even learned to kill and eat people.

When people from other nations heard about him, they trapped him in a pit. Then they used hooks to drag him to Egypt.

His mother waited for him to return, but soon she stopped hoping for that to happen. So she raised another cub who also became very fierce.

He hunted along with other lions for animals to kill, and he even learned to kill and eat people.

He mistreated his victims’ widows, and he destroyed cities. When he roared loudly, everyone was terrified and abandoned everything they owned.

So people of other nations planned to kill him; and men came from many places to spread out a net for him. They caught him in it.

They pulled him with hooks in his flesh and put him into an iron cage, then they took him to the king of Babylon. There they locked him up so that the sound of his voice could never be heard echoing on the hills of Israel.’

’It is as though your mother were a grapevine fertilized in blood, and growing up beside a stream. There was plenty of water, so it had lots of branches and produced a lot of grapes.

That grapevine grew and became taller than all the nearby trees; everyone could see that it was very strong and healthy. And those branches were good for making scepters that symbolize the power of a king.

But Yahweh became very angry, so he pulled up the vine by its roots and threw it on the ground, where the very hot winds from the desert dried up all its fruit. The strong branches wilted and were burned in a fire.

Now Yahweh has planted that vine in a hot, dry desert.

A fire started to burn its stem, and then started to burn the branches; it burned all the grapes. Now not even one strong branch remains; they will never become scepters for a king.’ This funeral song must be sung very sadly.”

“Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness. She couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs.

She brought up one of her cubs. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.

The nations also heard of him. He was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

“‘Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her cubs, and made him a young lion.

He went up and down among the lions. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.

He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities. The land was desolate with its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring.

Then the nations attacked him on every side from the provinces. They spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit.

They put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.

“‘Your mother was like a vine in your blood, planted by the waters. It was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

It had strong branches for the scepters of those who ruled. Their stature was exalted among the thick boughs. They were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

But it was plucked up in fury. It was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered. The fire consumed them.

Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

Fire has gone out of its branches. It has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong branch to be a scepter to rule.’ This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.”