A Funeral Song for Israel’s Leaders
The Lord said:
1 Ezekiel, sing a funeral song for two of Israel’s leaders:
2 Your mother was a brave lioness
who raised her cubs
among lions.
3 She taught one of them to hunt,
and he learned
to eat people.
4 When the nations heard of him,
they trapped him
in a pit,
then they used hooks
to drag him to
Egypt.
5 His mother waited
for him to return.
But soon she lost all hope
and raised another cub,
who also became
fierce.
6 He hunted with other lions
and learned to
eat people.
7 He destroyed fortresses
and ruined towns;
his mighty roar
terrified everyone.
8 Nations plotted to kill him,
and people came from all over
to spread out
a net
and catch him
in a trap.
9 They put him in a cage
and took him to
Babylonia.
The lion was locked away,
so that his mighty
roar
would never again be heard
on Israel’s
hills.
10 Your mother was a vine
growing near a
stream.
There was plenty of water,
so she was filled with branches
and with lots
of fruit.
11 Her strong branches
became symbols
of authority,
and she was taller
than all other
trees—
everyone could see how strong
and healthy she
was.
12 But in anger, I pulled her up
by the roots
and threw her to the ground,
where the scorching desert wind
dried out her
fruit.
Her strong branches wilted
and burned up.
13 Then she was planted
in a hot, dry
desert,
14 where her stem caught fire,
and flames burned
her branches and
fruit.
Not one strong branch is left;
she is stripped
bare.
This funeral song must be sung with sorrow.