What was your mother? A lioness!
Among lions she crouched;
in the midst of young lions
she reared her cubs.
[3] And she brought up one of her cubs;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured men.
[4] The nations heard about him;
he was caught in their pit,
and they brought him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
[5] When she saw that she waited in vain,
that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.
[6] He prowled among the lions;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured men,
[7] and seized their widows.
He laid waste their cities,
and the land was appalled and all who were in it
at the sound of his roaring.
[8] Then the nations set against him
from provinces on every side;
they spread their net over him;
he was taken in their pit.
[9] With hooks they put him in a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon;
they brought him into custody,
that his voice should no more be heard
on the mountains of Israel.
[10] Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard
planted by the water,
fruitful and full of branches
by reason of abundant water.
[11] Its strong stems became
rulers' scepters;
it towered aloft
among the thick boughs;
it was seen in its height
with the mass of its branches.
[12] But the vine was plucked up in fury,
cast down to the ground;
the east wind dried up its fruit;
they were stripped off and withered.
As for its strong stem,
fire consumed it.
[13] Now it is planted in the wilderness,
in a dry and thirsty land.
[14] And fire has gone out from the stem of its shoots,
has consumed its fruit,
so that there remains in it no strong stem,
no scepter for ruling.
This is a lamentation and has become a lamentation.
(Ezekiel 19 ESV)
A lament (verb) mourn (as in a person's death or loss)
I have to say, I find laments hard to read, but here goes....
This whole chapter is a lament done in verse. It is for the Princes of Israel.
We start with a mother, a lioness, rearing her cubs. Bringing up one of those cubs to become a young lion, seeing how he learned to catch prey, how he became a man hunter.
How the nations around heard about him and how they caught him up in their pit, and he was captured and brought to the land of Egypt. The momma lion watch, and her hope died.
Then the momma lion took up another of her cubs, and turned him into a young lion. She watched him become a man hunter as well and how he even killed the women, and laid waste to cities, and everyone around was appalled by his actions. How they moved against him, and brought him to Babylon. Caging him so that his voice would no longer be heard in Israel.
I can see the nation of Israel... going to Egypt, be taken by Babylon.
The scene changes to that of a vine growing. Tall and fruitful. Growing by abundant waters, strong stems growing.
But then fury arises. The vine is plucked up. Cast down. The east wind drying up its fruit, and the vine planted in a dry and thirsty land, no strong stem, no scepter for ruling.
And so we lament.
The strong has been cast down.
No more roars heard from Israel.
No strong stems of vine growing.
And I am saddened. I lament for what is now lost.