1 Ta også opp en klagesang for Israels fyrster,

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

2 og si: Hva var din mor? En løvinne; hun lå blant løver, blant unge løver fostret hun sine unger.

and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she couched among lions, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her whelps.

3 Hun oppfostret en av sine unger; han ble en ung løve, lærte å fange bytte, han fortærte mennesker.

And she brought up one of her whelps: he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

4 Folkene hørte om ham; de fanget ham i sin felle og førte ham med kroker til Egyptens land.

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

5 Da hun så at hun hadde ventet forgjeves og hennes håp var ute, tok hun en annen av sine unger og gjorde ham til en ung løve.

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 Han vandret blant løver; han ble en ung løve, lærte å fange bytte, han fortærte mennesker.

And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.

7 Han ødela deres palasser og la byene øde; og landet ble øde med det som var i det, på grunn av brølet hans.

And he knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring.

8 Da samlet folkene seg mot ham fra alle kanter; de spente ut sitt nett over ham og fanget ham i sin felle.

Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.

9 De satte ham i et bur med kroker og førte ham til Babylons konge; de førte ham til festninger, slik at han ikke lenger skulle høre sin røst på Israels fjell.

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

10 Din mor var som en vinstokk i blodet ditt, plantet ved vannene; den var fruktbar og full av grener på grunn av det rikelige vannet.

Thy mother was like a vine, in thy blood, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

11 Den hadde sterke stenger til herskerstaver, og dens høyde nådde opp mellom de tette grenene, og den ble sett i sin høyde med mengden av sine grener.

And it had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.

12 Men den ble rykket opp i vrede, kastet til jorden, og østvinden tørket dens frukt; dens sterke stenger ble brutt av og tørket, og ilden fortærte dem.

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

13 Nå er den plantet i ørkenen, i et tørt og tørstende land.

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

14 Og ild har gått ut fra stengene av dens grener; den har fortært dens frukt, slik at den ikke har noen sterke stenger igjen til en herskerstav. Dette er en klagesang, og det skal være en klagesang.

And fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.