Ezekiel 22:27

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.)

Ezekiel 22:27 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 22:27

Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the
prey
The king and his nobles, those of the first rank and quality, who ought to have protected the persons and property of the meaner sort; these were like "wolves" themselves, subtle, voracious, and cruel, preying upon harmless persons, as those creatures do upon the sheep and lambs: to shed blood;
innocent blood, as the Targum: and to destroy souls;
take away lives, under a pretence of treasonable practices, and all with a view to get dishonest gain; that their estates may be forfeited, their goods confiscated, and got into their hands.

Ezekiel 22:27 In-Context

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.)