Like Good News Translation, many other translations include a heading here, but the theme of the honest and just ruler began in verse 8b. It therefore makes more sense to break the text at verse 8b, rather than here.
Thus says the Lord GOD is the prophetic formula that calls attention to the importance of the following message from God. Lord renders the Hebrew word ʾadonai, and GOD renders “Yahweh” (YHWH in Hebrew).
Enough, O princes of Israel!: This is a very strong command, telling the rulers to stop doing what they have been doing or what they did in the past (compare 44.6). New Century Version has “You have gone far enough, you rulers of Israel!” Contemporary English Version makes very explicit what Enough represents by combining this clause with the next one, saying “You leaders of Israel have robbed and cheated my people long enough!”
Put away violence and oppression: Put away means to remove, take away, “Get rid of” (Complete Jewish Bible), “Make an end of” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). For the Hebrew word translated violence, which refers to the unfair treatment of the poor by the rich and powerful members of society, see the comments on 7.11. Oppression renders a different Hebrew root than the word for “oppress” in verse 8. It is related to the word meaning “destruction” (New American Standard Bible). The destruction it refers to here is the effect on the poor of the unfair treatment by unscrupulous leaders. It is both emotional and physical destruction, so New International Reader’s Version renders Put away … oppression as “Do not crush them.” The word for oppression has a more general meaning than “robbery” (Revised English Bible; similarly Contemporary English Version, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, Christian Community Bible, Complete Jewish Bible, Moffatt). Block suggests that the two nouns here should be taken together to mean “lawless behavior.” New Century Version provides a helpful model for this clause, saying “Stop being cruel and hurting people.” This clause and the previous one may be rendered “Stop it, you rulers of Israel! Stop treating people unfairly and hurting them!”
Instead, God commands the rulers to execute justice and righteousness, that is, he wants them to “Do what is right and just” (Good News Translation). The verb execute has nothing to do with putting criminals to death. It is just a high-level English term meaning “make” or “do” (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Reader’s Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version) in this context. For the Hebrew words rendered justice and righteousness, see the comments on 18.5, where they are translated “lawful” and “right.” Other ways of rendering this clause are “Do what is fair and right” (New International Reader’s Version), “do what is right and fair” (New Century Version; similarly Contemporary English Version), and “practice justice and integrity” (Christian Community Bible).
Cease your evictions of my people means the rulers are to stop forcing the people out of their homes and taking their property. New International Reader’s Version says “Stop taking my people’s land away from them,” and New Century Version has “Stop forcing my people out of their homes.”
Says the Lord GOD: This solemn, formal declaration by God is similar to the one at the beginning of this verse (see the comments on 5.11). It also stresses the importance of the message. If such repetition is unnatural in a language, this clause may be omitted.
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 .