The Lioness & Her Cubs |
Ezekiel 19:1-14 The Book of Ezekiel [in Smaller Chunks] |
[Also,] you, take up [mourning] for the princes of Israel & say, [Who] is your mother? A lioness. She [lies] down among lions & she [feeds] her [cubs] among the young lions. And she brought up one of her [cubs.] It became a young lion & it learned to catch the prey & it devoured men. |
The nations also heard of him & he was [trapped] in their pit. And with chains, they brought him to the land of Egypt. Now, when she had waited & saw her hope was lost, then she took another of her [cubs] & made him a young lion. |
[2 Kings 23:33-34 Pharaoh Nechoh put [Jehoahaz in prison in] Riblah, in the land of Hamath, [so] that he might not [rule] in Jerusalem & put the land to a tribute of 100 talents of silver & 1 talent of gold. And Pharaoh Nechoh, [a.k.a. Necho,] made Eliakim, [Josiah's] son, in [place] of his father, Josiah, & [changed] his name to Jehoiakim, & took Jehoahaz away & he came to Egypt & died there.] |
And he went [back & forth] among the lions & he became a young lion & learned to catch the prey & devoured men. And he knew their desolate, [a.k.a. empty,] palaces, & he laid [to] waste their cities. And, [because of] the noise of his roaring, the land & [its] fullness [were] desolate. |
Then, the nations set [out] against him, from every side [of] the provinces & spread their net over him & he was [captured] in their pit. And they put him in chains, in [a cage,] & brought him to the king of Babylon. |
They brought him [in nets, so] that his voice [would] no [longer] be heard upon the mountains of Israel. Your mother is like a vine in your [bloodline,] planted by the waters. She was fruitful, [a.k.a. productive,] & full of branches, [because] of many waters. [Deuteronomy 8:7-9 For the Lord your God brings you into a good land. |
A land of brooks of water; [with] fountains & depths that [proceed from] valleys & hills. A land of: wheat; barley; vines; fig trees; pomegranates; a land of olive oil & honey. |
A land [in which] you shall eat bread without scarceness & you shall not lack anything in it. A land whose stones are iron & you may dig brass out of [its] hills.] |
And she had strong rods, [a.k.a. branches,] for the scepters of [those who ruled.] And her [height] was [elevated] among the thick branches. She appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches. |
[Isaiah 10:33-34 [See,] with terror, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, shall lop [off] the top bough & the high ones of stature, [a.k.a. status,] shall be cut down & the [arrogant] shall be humbled. And with iron, He shall cut down the thickets of the forest & Lebanon shall fall by a Mighty One.] |
But in fury, she was [pulled] up & she was [thrown] down to the ground & the East wind dried up her fruit. Her strong [branches] were broken & withered & the fire consumed them. |
And now, she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry & thirsty ground. [Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God. I will seek you early & my soul thirsts for You. My flesh longs for you in a dry & thirsty land, where [there] is no water.] |
And fire [has] gone out [from a twig] of her branches, [that] has devoured her fruit, so that she has no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is [sorrowful] & shall be for [mourning.] |
[Ezekiel 17:17-19 Neither shall Pharaoh, with his mighty army & [large] company [be able to hinder Nebuchadnezzar] in the war, by casting up [embankments] & building forts, to cut off many [people.] |
[Since,] he despised the oath by breaking the Covenant [contract,] when, [see,] he had given his hand, [in a deal,] & has done all these things & he shall not escape. Therefore, the Lord God says [this,] As I Live, surely he has despised [My] oath & My Covenant that he has broken & I will even [repay this] upon his own head.] |