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¹ Thou also take vp a lamentation for the princes of Israel,² And say: wherfore lay thy mother that lionesse among the lions? she norished her young ones among the lions whelpes.³ One of her whelpes she brought vp, and it be came a lion, it learned to catche the pray and to deuour folke.⁴ The heathen hearde of hym, and caught hym in their snare, and brought hym in hookes vnto the lande of Egypt.⁵ Nowe when she sawe that she had wayted and her hope was lost, she toke another of her whelpes and made a lion of hym.⁶ Which went among the lions, and became a fearce lion, learned to catche the pray, and to deuour folke,⁷ He destroyed their palaces and made their cities waste, insomuch that the whole lande and euery thyng therin were vtterly desolate through the voyce of his roaryng.⁸ Then set the heathen together on euery side of the countreis agaynst him, layde their nettes for him, and toke him in their pit.⁹ So they put him in prison in chaynes, and brought him to the kyng of Babylon: they put him in holdes, that his voyce shoulde no more be hearde vpon the mountaynes of Israel.

¹⁰ As for thy mother, she is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she brought foorth fruite and braunches by the aboundaunt waters.¹¹ And she had strong roddes for the scepters of them that beare rule, and her stature was exalted on hye among the braunches, & she appeared in her height with the multitude of her braunches.¹² But she was pluckt vp in wrath, cast out vpon the grounde, the east wynde dryed vp her fruite [her braunches] were broken of & withered, as for the roddes of her strength, the fire consumed them.¹³ And nowe she is planted in the wildernesse, in a dry and thirstie grounde.¹⁴ And there is a fire gone out of the rodde of her brauches, it hath deuoured her fruite, so that she hath no strong rodde for a scepter to rule: This is a lamentation, and shalbe for a lamentation.