1Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. 3And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men. 4The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. 5Now 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. 6And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. 7And 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.19.7 their desolate…: or, their widows19.7 the fulness…: or, all it containeth 8Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit. 9And 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.19.9 in chains: or, in hooks
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.19.10 in…: or, in thy quietness, or, in thy likeness 11And 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. 12But 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. 13And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. 14And 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.
Lamento por los príncipes de Israel
1»Dedícale este lamento a los príncipes de Israel:
2»“En medio de los leones,
tu madre era toda una leona.
Recostada entre leoncillos,
amamantaba a sus cachorros.
3A uno de ellos lo crio
y este llegó a ser un león fuerte
que aprendió a desgarrar su presa
y a devorar a la gente.
4Las naciones oyeron de él,
lo atraparon en una fosa
y lo llevaron con garfios a la tierra de Egipto.
5»”Cuando la leona madre perdió toda esperanza,
con sus expectativas perdidas,
tomó a otra de sus crías
y la hizo un león fuerte.
6Cuando este león se hizo fuerte,
merodeaba entre los leones.
Aprendió a desgarrar su presa
y a devorar a la gente.
7Demolía palacios19:7 Demolía palacios (lectura probable; véanse LXX y Targum); Conocía viudas (TM).
y asolaba ciudades.
La tierra y sus habitantes
estaban aterrorizados con sus rugidos.
8Las naciones y provincias vecinas
se dispusieron a atacarlo.
Extendieron su red sobre él
y quedó atrapado en la fosa.
9Enjaulado y con garfios
lo llevaron ante el rey de Babilonia.
Lo pusieron en prisión
para que no se oyeran sus rugidos
en los montes de Israel.
10»”Tu madre era como una vid en medio del viñedo,19:10 del viñedo (dos mss. hebreos); de tu sangre (TM).
plantada junto al agua.
Era fructífera y frondosa,
gracias al agua abundante.
11Sus ramas crecieron vigorosas,
¡aptas para ser cetros de reyes!
Tanto creció que se destacaba
por encima del follaje.
Se le reconocía por su altura
y por sus ramas frondosas.
12Pero fue desarraigada con furia
y arrojada por el suelo.
El viento del este la dejó marchita
y fueron arrancados sus frutos.
Secas quedaron sus vigorosas ramas,
y fueron consumidas por el fuego.
13Ahora está plantada en el desierto,
en tierra árida y reseca.
14De una de sus ramas brotó un fuego
y consumió sus frutos.
¡No queda en ella una rama vigorosa,
apta para ser cetro de gobernante!”.
Este es un lamento y debe entonarse como tal».