Ezekiel 22:24-31

24 Son of man, say thou to it, Thou art a land unclean (Thou art an unclean land), and not berained in the day of strong vengeance.

25 Swearing together, either conspiring, of prophets is in the midst thereof; as a lion roaring and taking prey (like a lion roaring and taking prey), they devoured men, they took riches, and price; they multiplied widows thereof in the midst thereof.

26 [The] Priests thereof despised my law, and defouled my saintuaries (Its priests despised my Law, and defiled my sanctuaries); they had not difference betwixt holy thing and unholy, they understood not betwixt defouled thing and clean thing; and they turned away their eyes from my sabbaths, and I was defouled in the midst of them.

27 The princes thereof in the midst thereof were as wolves ravishing prey, to shed out blood, and to lose men, and in following lucres greedily. (Its princes in its midst were like wolves tearing apart their prey, who shed out blood, and destroy people, to greedily acquire filthy lucre.)

28 Forsooth the prophets thereof pargeted them without tempering, and saw vain things, and divined leasings to them, and said, The Lord God saith these things, when the Lord spake not. (And its prophets mortared them without tempering, and saw empty and futile things, and divined lies for them, and said, The Lord God saith these things, when the Lord did not speak.)

29 The peoples of the land challenged false challenge, and ravished by violence; they tormented a needy man and (a) poor (man), and oppressed a comeling by false challenge, without doom. (The peoples of the land oppressed, and robbed with violence; they tormented the needy and the poor, and oppressed newcomers, without justification.)

30 And I sought of them a man, that should set an hedge betwixt, and stand set against me for the land, that I should not destroy it, and I found not. (And I sought someone among them, who would make a hedge between, and would stand against me for the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one.)

31 And I shed out on them mine indignation, and I wasted them in the fire of my wrath; and I yielded the way of them on the head of them, saith the Lord God. (And so I poured out my indignation upon them, and I destroyed them in the fire of my anger; and I gave back their ways onto their own heads, saith the Lord God.)

Ezekiel 22:24-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 22

In this chapter a catalogue or list of the sins of the Jews is given; a comparison of them to dross is made, and they are dealt with accordingly; and a complaint is lodged against all ranks and orders of men for their sins; on account of which, there being no intercessor for them, they are threatened with captivity and destruction. The prophet is ordered to judge them, and lay before them their abominable sins, Eze 22:1,2, of which a long list is given, as murder, idolatry; contempt of parents; oppression of the stranger, fatherless, and widow; negligence of holy things; profanation of the sabbath; tale bearing, lewdness and uncleanness of various sorts; bribery, usury, extortion, and dishonest gain, Eze 22:3-13 for which the Lord threatens to deal with them in a manner that would be intolerable to them; that he would carry them captive, and scatter them among the Heathen, Eze 22:14-16, they are compared to dross, and as such should be gathered into a furnace, and melted down, Eze 22:17-21, all ranks and orders of men are complained of, because of their sins, and threatened, Eze 22:23,24, the prophets for their voraciousness, rapine, murder, and lies, Eze 22:25,28, the priests, for their violation of the law, neglect of holy things, and profanation of the sabbath, Eze 22:26, the princes, for their cruelty, murder, and dishonest gain, Eze 22:27, the people of the land, for their oppression and robbery, Eze 22:29, and there being none to stand in the gap for them, the Lord threatens to pour out his wrath upon them, and consume them, Eze 22:30,31.