1 "Sing a song of sadness about Israel's princes.
2 Say to Israel, " 'You were like a mother lion to your princes. She lay down among the young lions. She brought up her cubs.
3 One of them was Jehoahaz. He became a strong lion. He learned to tear apart what he caught. And he ate men up.
4 The nations heard about him. They trapped him in their pit. They put hooks in his face. And they led him away to Egypt.
5 " 'The mother lion looked and waited. But all of her hope was gone. So she got another one of her cubs. She made him into a strong lion.
6 He prowled with the lions. He became very strong. He learned to tear apart what he caught. And he ate men up.
7 He broke down their forts. He completely destroyed their towns. The land and all those who were in it were terrified when he roared.
8 Then nations came against him. They came from all around him. They spread out their net to catch him. He was trapped in their pit.
9 They used hooks to pull him into a cage. They brought him to the king of Babylonia. They put him in prison. So his roar was not heard anymore on the mountains of Israel.
10 " 'Israel, you were like a vine in a vineyard. It was planted near water. It had a lot of fruit and many branches. There was plenty of water.
11 Its branches were strong. Each was good enough to be made into a ruler's rod. The vine grew high above all of the leaves. It stood out because it was so tall and had so many branches.
12 But Nebuchadnezzar became angry. He pulled it up by its roots. He threw it to the ground. The east wind dried it up. Its fruit was stripped off. Its strong branches dried up. And fire destroyed them.
13 Now it is planted in the Babylonian desert. It is in a dry and thirsty land.