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Ezekiel 19 (CEV)

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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.