A Lament for the Princes of Israel

1Thou also take vp a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2And say: wherfore lay thy mother that lionesse among the lions? she norished her young ones among the lions whelpes.

3One of her whelpes she brought vp, and it be came a lion, it learned to catche the pray and to deuour folke.

4The heathen hearde of hym, and caught hym in their snare, and brought hym in hookes vnto the lande of Egypt.

5Nowe when she sawe that she had wayted and her hope was lost, she toke another of her whelpes and made a lion of hym.

6Which went among the lions, and became a fearce lion, learned to catche the pray, and to deuour folke,

7He destroyed their palaces and made their cities waste, insomuch that the whole lande and euery thyng therin were vtterly desolate through the voyce of his roaryng.

8Then set the heathen together on euery side of the countreis agaynst him, layde their nettes for him, and toke him in their pit.

9So they put him in prison in chaynes, and brought him to the kyng of Babylon: they put him in holdes, that his voyce shoulde no more be hearde vpon the mountaynes of Israel.

10As for thy mother, she is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she brought foorth fruite and braunches by the aboundaunt waters.

11And she had strong roddes for the scepters of them that beare rule, and her stature was exalted on hye among the braunches, & she appeared in her height with the multitude of her braunches.

12But she was pluckt vp in wrath, cast out vpon the grounde, the east wynde dryed vp her fruite her braunches were broken of & withered, as for the roddes of her strength, the fire consumed them.

13And nowe she is planted in the wildernesse, in a dry and thirstie grounde.

14And there is a fire gone out of the rodde of her brauches, it hath deuoured her fruite, so that she hath no strong rodde for a scepter to rule: This is a lamentation, and shalbe for a lamentation.