²¹ The young lions go thundering after their food; searching for their meat from God.

²⁰ The beasts of the field are turning to you with desire: for the water-streams are dry and fire has put an end to the grass-lands of the waste.

⁴ Will a lion give his loud cry in the woodland when no food is there? will the voice of the young lion be sounding from his hole if he has taken nothing?

²² Have no fear, you beasts of the field, for the grass-lands of the waste are becoming green, for the trees are producing fruit, the fig-tree and the vine give out their strength.

¹⁸ What sounds of pain come from the beasts! the herds of cattle are at a loss because there is no grass for them; even the flocks of sheep are no longer to be seen.

² What was your mother? Like a she-lion among lions, stretched out among the young lions she gave food to her little ones.

³ And one of her little ones came to growth under her care, and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.

⁴ And the nations had news of him; he was taken in the hole they had made: and, pulling him with hooks, they took him into the land of Egypt.

⁵ Now when she saw that her hope was made foolish and gone, she took another of her little ones and made him into a young lion.

⁶ And he went up and down among the lions and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat.

⁷ And he sent destruction on their widows and made waste their towns; and the land and everything in it became waste because of the loud sound of his voice.

⁸ Then the nations came against him from the kingdoms round about: their net was stretched over him and he was taken in the hole they had made.

⁹ They made him a prisoner with hooks, and took him to the king of Babylon; they put him in the strong place so that his voice might be sounding no longer on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰ Your mother was in comparison like a vine, planted by the waters: she was fertile and full of branches because of the great waters.

¹¹ And she had a strong rod for a rod of authority for the rulers, and it became tall among the clouds and it was seen lifted up among the number of its branches.

¹² But she was uprooted in burning wrath, and made low on the earth; the east wind came, drying her up, and her branches were broken off; her strong rod became dry, the fire made a meal of it.

¹³ And now she is planted in the waste land, in a dry and unwatered country.

¹⁴ And fire has gone out from her rod, causing the destruction of her branches, so that there is no strong rod in her to be the ruler's rod of authority. This is a song of grief, and it was for a song of grief.

⁴ For the Lord has said to me, As a lion, or a young lion, makes an angry noise over his food, and if a band of herdsmen come out against him, he will not be in fear of their voices, or give up his food for their noise: so the Lord of armies will come down to make war against Mount Zion and its hill.

⁹ He gives food to every beast, and to the young ravens in answer to their cry.

¹⁵ The eyes of all men are waiting for you; and you give them their food in its time.

¹⁰ The young lions are in need and have no food; but those who are looking to the Lord will have every good thing.