133 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
133 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
A Funeral Song for Israel's Kings
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# Chapter 19
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1. "Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel:
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2. "What is your mother?
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A lioness among lions!
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She lay down among the young lions
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and reared her cubs.
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3. She raised one of her cubs
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to become a strong young lion.
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He learned to hunt and devour prey,
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and he became a man-eater.
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4. Then the nations heard about him,
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and he was trapped in their pit.
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They led him away with hooks
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to the land of Egypt.
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5. "When the lioness saw
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that her hopes for him were gone,
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she took another of her cubs
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and taught him to be a strong young lion.
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6. He prowled among the other lions
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and stood out among them in his strength.
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He learned to hunt and devour prey,
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and he, too, became a man-eater.
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7. He demolished fortresses
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and destroyed their towns and cities.
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Their farms were desolated,
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and their crops were destroyed.
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The land and its people trembled in fear
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when they heard him roar.
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8. Then the armies of the nations attacked him,
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surrounding him from every direction.
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They threw a net over him
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and captured him in their pit.
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9. With hooks, they dragged him into a cage
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and brought him before the king of Babylon.
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They held him in captivity,
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so his voice could never again be heard
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on the mountains of Israel.
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10. "Your mother was like a vine
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planted by the water's edge.
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It had lush, green foliage
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because of the abundant water.
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11. Its branches became strong--
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strong enough to be a ruler's scepter.
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It grew very tall,
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towering above all others.
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It stood out because of its height
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and its many lush branches.
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12. But the vine was uprooted in fury
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and thrown down to the ground.
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The desert wind dried up its fruit
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and tore off its strong branches,
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so that it withered
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and was destroyed by fire.
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13. Now the vine is transplanted to the wilderness,
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where the ground is hard and dry.
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14. A fire has burst out from its branches
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and devoured its fruit.
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Its remaining limbs are not
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strong enough to be a ruler's scepter.
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"This is a funeral song, and it will be used in a funeral."
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