Ezekiel 22:27 - Easy To Read Version “The leaders in Jerusalem are like a wolf eating the animal it has caught. Those leaders attack and kill people just to get rich. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Her princes in the midst of her are like wolves rending and devouring the prey, shedding blood and destroying lives to get dishonest gain. American Standard Version (1901) Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain. Common English Bible The officials in her are like wolves ripping up prey. They shed blood and destroy lives for unjust riches. Catholic Public Domain Version Her leaders in her midst are like wolves seizing the prey: to shed blood, and to perish souls, and to continually pursue profit with avarice. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Her princes in the midst of her are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and to destroy souls and to run after gains through covetousness. |
Also, all the leaders of the priests and the leaders of the people of Judah sinned worse and became more unfaithful to the Lord. They followed the evil example of the other nations. Those leaders ruined the Lord’s temple. {\cf2\super [453]} The Lord had made the temple holy in Jerusalem.
Your rulers are rebels and friends of thieves. All of your rulers demand bribes—they accept money for doing wrong things. All of your rulers take pay for cheating people. Your rulers don’t try to help the children that have no parents. And your rulers don’t listen to the needs of the women whose husbands are dead.”
These are the people that walked between the two pieces of the calf when they made the Agreement before me: the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the important officials of the court, the priests, and the people of the land.
They turned against God,\par so a lion from the forest will attack them.\par A wolf from the desert will kill them.\par A leopard is hiding near their cities.\par The leopard will tear to pieces\par any person that comes out of the city.\par This will happen because the people\par of Judah have sinned again and again.\par They have wandered away from the Lord\par many times.\par
This happened because the prophets\par of Jerusalem sinned.\par This happened because the priests\par of Jerusalem did evil things.\par Those people were shedding blood\par in the city of Jerusalem.\par They were shedding the blood\par of good people.\par
You make the people think I am not important. You turn them against me for a few handfuls of barley and a few scraps of bread. You tell lies to my people. Those people love to listen to lies. You kill people that should live. And you let people live that should die.
“\{God said,\} ‘Now look! I will slam my hand down and stop you! I will punish you for cheating and killing people.
The prophets in Jerusalem are making evil plans. They are like a lion—it roars when it begins to eat the animal it caught. Those prophets have destroyed many lives. They have taken many valuable things. They caused many women to become widows {\cf2\super [176]} in Jerusalem.
You must say, ‘The Lord my Master says this: The city is full of murderers. So her time of punishment will come! She made filthy idols for herself. And those idols made her filthy!
“‘Look! In Jerusalem, every ruler of Israel made himself strong so he could kill other people.
So they come to you like they are my people. They sit in front of you like they are my people. They hear your words. But they won’t do the things you say. They only want to do what feels good. They only want to cheat people and make more money.
You eat the fat sheep and use their wool to make clothes for yourselves. You kill the fat sheep, but you don’t feed the flock.
Yes, I will lead many people—my people, Israel—to your land. You will be their property. And you won’t take away their children again.”
This land will be the ruler’s property in Israel. So the ruler won’t need to make life hard for my people any more. But they will give the land to the Israelites for their family groups.”
The Lord my Master said these things, “Enough, you rulers of Israel! Stop being cruel and stealing things from people! Be fair and do good things! Stop forcing my people out from their homes!” The Lord my Master said these things.
And the ruler will not take any of the people’s land or force them to leave their land. He must give some of his own land to his sons. In that way, my people will not be forced to lose their land.”
I have fallen.\par But enemy, don’t laugh at me!\par I will get up again.\par I sit in darkness now.\par But the Lord will be a light for me.\par
Yes, it will be very bad for the person that becomes rich by doing wrong. That person does those things to live in a safe place. He thinks that he can stop other people from stealing from him. \{But bad things will happen to him.\}
Jerusalem’s leaders are like roaring lions. Her judges {\cf2\super [19]} are like hungry wolves that come in the evening \{to attack the sheep\}—and in the morning nothing is left.
Jesus said to all the people there, “It is written \{in the Scriptures {\cf2\super [286]} \}, ‘My house will be called a house for prayer.’ {\cf2\super [287]} But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hiding place for thieves.’ {\cf2\super [288]} ”
“Be careful of false prophets. {\cf2\super [84]} They come to you and look \{gentle\} like sheep. But they are really dangerous \{like\} wolves.
I know that after I leave, some men will come into your group. They will be like wild wolves. They will try to destroy the flock.