¹Du menneskesøn istem en klagesang over Israels fyrster og sig:

¹And thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel,

²Hvor var dog din Moder en Løvinde midt iblandt Løver! Hun hviled blandt unge Løver opfostred Unger.

²and thou hast said: What [is] thy mother? — a lioness, Among lions she hath crouched down, In the midst of young lions she hath multiplied her whelps.

³En Unge voksede til, en Ungløve blev den; den lærte at røve Rov, Mennesker åd den.

³And she bringeth up one of her whelps, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.

⁴Da opbød man Folkene mod den, i Grav blev den fanget, de slæbte den bort med Kroge til Ægyptens Land.

⁴And hear of it do nations, In their pit it hath been caught, And they bring it in with chains unto the land of Egypt.

⁵Da hun så, at den var ført bort, at Håbet var bristet, tog hun en anden Unge og gjorde til Løve.

⁵And she seeth, that stayed — perished hath her hope, And she taketh one of her whelps, A young lion she hath made it.

⁶Den gik imellem Løvinder, en Ungløve blev den, den lærte at røve Rov, Mennesker åd den.

⁶And it goeth up and down in the midst of lions, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured.

⁷Den overfaldt Vædre på Græs, var Hjordenes Rædsel Landet og dets Fylde stivned af Angst for dens Brøl.

⁷And it knoweth his forsaken habitations, And their cities it hath laid waste, And desolate is the land and its fulness, Because of the voice of his roaring.

⁸Og Folkene lagde Snarer rundt omkring den, over den bredte de Nettet, i Grav blev den fanget.

⁸And set against it do nations Round about from the provinces. And they spread out for it their net, In their pit it hath been caught.

⁹De trak den med Kroge i Bur og førte den til Babels Konge, hen til Borgen, at dens Røst ej mer skulde høres på Israels Bjerge.

⁹And they put it in prison — in chains, And they bring it unto the king of Babylon, They bring it in unto bulwarks, So that its voice is not heard any more On mountains of Israel.

¹⁰Din Moder var en Vinstok i Vingården, plantet ved Vand, frugtbar og rig på Grene ved rigelig Væde.

¹⁰Thy mother [is] as a vine in thy blood by waters planted, Fruitful and full of boughs it hath been, Because of many waters.

¹¹En af dens Grene blev til et Herskerspir dens knejsende Vækst skød op imellem Løvet, let at se i sin Højde, med mange Ranker.

¹¹And it hath strong rods for sceptres of rulers, And high is its stature above thick branches, And it appeareth in its height In the multitude of its thin shoots.

¹²Men, i Vrede blev Vinstokken oprykt, slænget til Jorden, Østenstorm tørred dens Frugt, den reves af, dens stolte Gren blev vissen, Ild åd den op.

¹²And it is plucked up in fury, To the earth it hath been cast, And the east wind hath dried up its fruit, Broken and withered hath been the rod of its strength, Fire hath consumed it.

¹³Nu er den plantet i Ørkenen, et tørt og tørstigt Land.

¹³And now — it is planted in a wilderness, In a land dry and thirsty.

¹⁴Ild for ud af dens Gren, fortæred dens Ranker og Frugt: en stolt Gren findes ej på den til Herskerspir. Dette er en Klagesang, og en Klagesang blev det.

¹⁴And go forth doth fire from a rod of its boughs, Its fruit it hath devoured, And it hath no rod of strength — a sceptre to rule, Lamentation it [is] — and it is for a lamentation!`