‘Your mother was a lioness [^Creferring either to the Davidic dynasty or to Hamutal, the wife of Josiah and mother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah; Gen. 49:9; 2 Kin. 23:31–34].
She lay down among the young lions [^Cthe kings of Judah].
    She ·had many [reared her] cubs.
³ When she ·brought up [reared] one of her cubs,
    he became a ·strong [^Lyoung] lion [^CKing Jehoahaz; 2 Kin. 23:31–34; Jer. 22:10–12].
He learned to tear ·the animals he hunted [prey],
    and he ·ate [devoured] people.
⁴ The nations heard about him.
    He was trapped in their pit,
and they brought him with hooks
    to the land of Egypt.
⁵ “‘The mother lion waited and saw
    that there was no hope for her cub.
So she took another one of her cubs
    and made him a ·strong [^Lyoung] lion [^Ceither Jehoiachin (2 Kin. 24:8) or Zedekiah (2 Kin. 25:7)].
⁶ This cub ·roamed [prowled] among the lions.
    He was now a ·strong [^Lyoung] lion.
He learned to tear ·the animals he hunted [prey],
    and he ·ate [devoured] people.
⁷ He tore down their ·strong places [strongholds; fortresses]
    and ·destroyed [devastated] their cities.
The land and everything in it
    were terrified by the sound of his roar.
⁸ Then the nations came against him
    from areas all around,
and they spread their net over him.
    He was trapped in their pit.
⁹ Then they put him into a ·cage with chains [collar]
    and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They put him into prison
    so his ·roar [voice] could not be heard again
    on the mountains of Israel [2 Kin. 24:8–17; 2 Chr. 36:8–10].