In you men take bribes to shed blood probably means corrupt judges secretly accepted money or other gifts in exchange for condemning people to death in court. Alternatively, this clause could refer to people being paid to murder someone (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). Bribery is a custom that is all too well known in most parts of the world. If there is no word or idiom for it, however, translators can follow New Century Version for this clause, which says “The people in you take money to kill others.” Another possible model is “Some of your people take money to condemn people to death.”

You take interest and increase refers to charging interest on loans. See the comments on 18.8 for the difference between the Hebrew terms rendered interest and increase.

And make gain of your neighbors by extortion involves making illegal profits, usually with the threat of violence. For extortion see Ezek 22.7. La Bible Pléiade renders this clause as “and take advantage of your neighbor by violence,” which is a good model.

And you have forgotten me: The social, cultic and sexual sins listed in verses 6-12 are summarized here with the charge that the people of Jerusalem have forgotten God, which means they disregarded God and ignored his commands (compare New Living Translation, which says “They never even think of me and my commands”). They had broken the covenant and did not worship him correctly (compare Revised English Bible, which has “You have committed apostasy”).

The list of sins ends with the solemn declaration says the Lord GOD, which emphasizes God’s words here.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .