Ezekiel 18:12 (DRB)

Passage

That grieveth the needy and the poor, that taketh away by violence, that restoreth not the pledge, and that lifteth up his eyes to idols, that comitteth abomination:

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 18:10 And if he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that hath done some one of these things:

Ezekiel 18:11 Though he doth not all these things, but that eateth upon the mountains, and that defileth his neighbour's wife:

Ezekiel 18:12 That grieveth the needy and the poor, that taketh away by violence, that restoreth not the pledge, and that lifteth up his eyes to idols, that comitteth abomination:

Ezekiel 18:13 That giveth upon usury, and that taketh an increase: shall such a one live? he shall not live. Seeing he hath done all these detestable things, he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him.

Ezekiel 18:14 But if he beget a son, who, seeing all his father's sins, which he hath done, is afraid, and shall not do the like to them:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grieveth", "needy", "poor", "taketh", "away", "violence", "restoreth", and "pledge". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grieveth" and "needy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Though he doth not all these things..." into verse 13's "That giveth upon usury and that taketh...", so "grieveth" and "needy" belong inside that flow. In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "grieveth" and "needy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.