| 1 וְאַתָּה שָׂא קִינָה אֶל־נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | 1 And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, |
| 2 וְאָמַרְתָּ מָה אִמְּךָ לְבִיָּא בֵּין אֲרָיֹות רָבָצָה בְּתֹוךְ כְּפִרִים רִבְּתָה גוּרֶיהָ | 2 and say: What a lioness was your mother among lions! She couched in the midst of young lions, rearing her whelps. |
| 3 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 prey; he devoured men. |
| 4 וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֵלָיו גֹּויִם בְּשַׁחְתָּם נִתְפָּשׂ וַיְבִאֻהוּ בַחַחִים אֶל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם | 4 The nations sounded an alarm against him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. |
| 5 וַתֵּרֶא כִּי נֹוחֲלָה אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתָהּ וַתִּקַּח אֶחָד מִגֻּרֶיהָ כְּפִיר שָׂמָתְהוּ | 5 When she saw that she was baffled, that her hope was lost, she took another of her whelps and made him a young lion. |
| 6 וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ בְּתֹוךְ־אֲרָיֹות כְּפִיר הָיָה וַיִּלְמַד לִטְרָף־טֶרֶף אָדָם אָכָל | 6 He prowled among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men. |
| 7 וַיֵּדַע אַלְמְנֹותָיו וְעָרֵיהֶם הֶחֱרִיב וַתֵּשַׁם אֶרֶץ וּמְלֹאָהּ מִקֹּול שַׁאֲגָתֹו | 7 And he ravaged their strongholds, and laid waste their cities; and the land was appalled and all who were in it at the sound of his roaring. |
| 8 וַיִּתְּנוּ עָלָיו גֹּויִם סָבִיב מִמְּדִינֹות וַיִּפְרְשׂוּ עָלָיו רִשְׁתָּם בְּשַׁחְתָּם נִתְפָּשׂ | 8 Then the nations set against him snares on every side; they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit. |
| 9 וַיִּתְּנֻהוּ בַסּוּגַר בַּחַחִים וַיְבִאֻהוּ אֶל־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל יְבִאֻהוּ בַּמְּצֹדֹות לְמַעַן לֹא־יִשָּׁמַע קֹולֹו עֹוד אֶל־הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ פ | 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 upon the mountains of Israel. |
| 10 אִמְּךָ כַגֶּפֶן בְּדָמְךָ עַל־מַיִם שְׁתוּלָה פֹּרִיָּה וַעֲנֵפָה הָיְתָה מִמַּיִם רַבִּים | 10 Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard transplanted by the water, fruitful and full of branches by reason of abundant water. |
| 11 וַיִּהְיוּ־לָהּ מַטֹּות עֹז אֶל־שִׁבְטֵי מֹשְׁלִים וַתִּגְבַּהּ קֹומָתֹו עַל־בֵּין עֲבֹתִים וַיֵּרָא בְגָבְהֹו בְּרֹב דָּלִיֹּתָיו | 11 Its strongest stem became a ruler's scepter; it towered aloft among the thick boughs; it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches. |
| 12 וַתֻּתַּשׁ בְּחֵמָה לָאָרֶץ הֻשְׁלָכָה וְרוּחַ הַקָּדִים הֹובִישׁ פִּרְיָהּ הִתְפָּרְקוּ וְיָבֵשׁוּ מַטֵּה עֻזָּהּ אֵשׁ אֲכָלָתְהוּ | 12 But the vine was plucked up in fury, cast down to the ground; the east wind dried it up; its fruit was stripped off, its strong stem was withered; the fire consumed it. |
| 13 וְעַתָּה שְׁתוּלָה בַמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה וְצָמָא | 13 Now it is transplanted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. |
| 14 וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִמַּטֵּה בַדֶּיהָ פִּרְיָהּ אָכָלָה וְלֹא־הָיָה בָהּ מַטֵּה־עֹז שֵׁבֶט לִמְשֹׁול קִינָה הִיא וַתְּהִי לְקִינָה׃ פ | 14 And fire has gone out from its stem, has consumed its branches and fruit, so that there remains in it no strong stem, no scepter for a ruler. This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation. |
