| א וְאַתָּה שָׂא קִינָה, אֶל-נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. | 1 Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, |
| ב וְאָמַרְתָּ, מָה אִמְּךָ לְבִיָּא, בֵּין אֲרָיוֹת, רָבָצָה; בְּתוֹךְ כְּפִרִים, רִבְּתָה גוּרֶיהָ. | 2 and say: How was thy mother a lioness; among lions she couched, in the midst of the young lions she reared her whelps! |
| ג וַתַּעַל אֶחָד מִגֻּרֶיהָ, כְּפִיר הָיָה; וַיִּלְמַד לִטְרָף-טֶרֶף, אָדָם אָכָל. | 3 And she brought up one of her whelps, he became a young lion; and he learned to catch the prey, he devoured men. |
| ד וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֵלָיו גּוֹיִם, בְּשַׁחְתָּם נִתְפָּשׂ; וַיְבִאֻהוּ בַחַחִים, אֶל-אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם. | 4 Then the nations assembled against him, he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt. |
| ה וַתֵּרֶא כִּי נוֹחֲלָה, אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתָהּ; וַתִּקַּח אֶחָד מִגֻּרֶיהָ, כְּפִיר שָׂמָתְהוּ. | 5 Now when she saw that she was disappointed, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. |
| ו וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ בְּתוֹךְ-אֲרָיוֹת, כְּפִיר הָיָה; וַיִּלְמַד לִטְרָף-טֶרֶף, אָדָם אָכָל. | 6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion; and he learned to catch the prey, he devoured men. |
| ז וַיֵּדַע, אַלְמְנוֹתָיו, וְעָרֵיהֶם, הֶחֱרִיב; וַתֵּשַׁם אֶרֶץ וּמְלֹאָהּ, מִקּוֹל שַׁאֲגָתוֹ. | 7 And he knew their castles, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring. |
| ח וַיִּתְּנוּ עָלָיו גּוֹיִם סָבִיב, מִמְּדִינוֹת; וַיִּפְרְשׂוּ עָלָיו רִשְׁתָּם, בְּשַׁחְתָּם נִתְפָּשׂ. | 8 Then the nations cried out against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him, he was taken in their pit. |
| ט וַיִּתְּנֻהוּ בַסּוּגַר בַּחַחִים, וַיְבִאֻהוּ אֶל-מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל; יְבִאֻהוּ, בַּמְּצֹדוֹת, לְמַעַן לֹא-יִשָּׁמַע קוֹלוֹ עוֹד, אֶל-הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. {פ} | 9 And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; that they might bring him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. {P} |
| י אִמְּךָ כַגֶּפֶן בְּדָמְךָ, עַל-מַיִם שְׁתוּלָה; פֹּרִיָּה, וַעֲנֵפָה, הָיְתָה, מִמַּיִם רַבִּים. | 10 Thy mother was like a vine, in thy likeness, planted by the waters; she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. |
| יא וַיִּהְיוּ-לָהּ מַטּוֹת עֹז, אֶל-שִׁבְטֵי מֹשְׁלִים, וַתִּגְבַּהּ קוֹמָתוֹ, עַל-בֵּין עֲבֹתִים; וַיֵּרָא בְגָבְהוֹ, בְּרֹב דָּלִיֹּתָיו. | 11 And she had strong rods to be sceptres for them that bore rule; and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she was seen in her height with the multitude of her tendrils. |
| יב וַתֻּתַּשׁ בְּחֵמָה לָאָרֶץ הֻשְׁלָכָה, וְרוּחַ הַקָּדִים הוֹבִישׁ פִּרְיָהּ; הִתְפָּרְקוּ וְיָבֵשׁוּ מַטֵּה עֻזָּהּ, אֵשׁ אֲכָלָתְהוּ. | 12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; her strong rods were broken off and withered, the fire consumed her. |
| יג וְעַתָּה, שְׁתוּלָה בַמִּדְבָּר, בְּאֶרֶץ, צִיָּה וְצָמָא. | 13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. |
| יד וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִמַּטֵּה בַדֶּיהָ, פִּרְיָהּ אָכָלָה, וְלֹא-הָיָה בָהּ מַטֵּה-עֹז, שֵׁבֶט לִמְשׁוֹל: קִינָה הִיא, וַתְּהִי לְקִינָה. {פ} | 14 And fire is gone out of the rod of her branches, it hath devoured her fruit, so that there is in her no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule.' This is a lamentation, and it was for a lamentation. {P} |