19:1 你當為以色列的王作起哀歌,
19:2 說:你的母親是甚麼呢?是個母獅子,蹲伏在獅子中間,在少壯獅子中養育小獅子。
19:3 在牠小獅子中養大一個,成了少壯獅子,學會抓食而吃人。
19:4 列國聽見了就把他捉在他們的坑中,用鉤子拉到埃及地去。
19:5 母獅見自己等候失了指望,就從牠小獅子中又將一個養為少壯獅子。
19:6 牠在眾獅子中走來走去,成了少壯獅子,學會抓食而吃人。
19:7 他知道列國的宮殿,又使他們的城邑變為荒場;因他咆哮的聲音,遍地和其中所有的就都荒廢。
19:8 於是四圍邦國各省的人來攻擊他,將網撒在他身上,捉在他們的坑中。
19:9 他們用鉤子鉤住他,將他放在籠中,帶到巴比倫王那裡,將他放入堅固之所,使他的聲音在以色列山上不再聽見。
1 And you, take up a lamentation for the
princes of Israel, 2 and say:
What was your mother? A lioness!
Among lions she crouched;
in the midst of young lions
she reared her cubs.
3 And she brought up one of her cubs;
he
became a young lion,
and
he learned to catch prey;
he devoured men.
4 The nations heard about him;
he
was caught in their pit,
and
they brought him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
5 When she saw that she waited in vain,
that her hope was lost,
she
took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.
6 He prowled among the lions;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured men,
7 and seized their widows.
He laid waste their cities,
and the land was appalled and all who were
in it
at the sound of his roaring.
8 Then the nations set against him
from provinces on every side;
they
spread their net over him;
he
was taken in their pit.
9 With hooks they put him in a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon;
they brought him into custody,
that his voice should no more be heard
on the mountains of Israel.
**********
這是先知為猶大兩個王:約哈斯約哈斯(王下 23:32-34)和約雅斤(王下24 : 13 -15)做哀歌。也有人認為第二隻獅子是西底家或約雅敬(王下 24:1-6)。由於約雅敬是否曾經被擄到巴比倫,學者們有爭議,如果他曾經被擄去巴比倫,這樣以他的事蹟最可能是第二隻少壯獅子。如果排除約雅敬的話,西底家應該就是另一個最可能的選擇。
不過這是要告訴我們猶大的王的下場,猶大的王不聽從上帝的話,隨己意行事造成以色列的滅國,雖然他們是大衛的子孫,大衛的義行也就不了他們。只有靠上帝的應許的恩典,才使他們有歸回重建的盼望。
所以,人不能誇口自己,只能謙卑領受上帝的恩典。自己無法救自己,只能靠耶穌基督而得救。