“There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured people. They take treasure and precious things. They have made her widows many in her midst.”
As the text stands it declares that the prophets, who should have been such a force for good as they brought the word of Yahweh to His people, had instead become like ravening lions, using their position to ‘raven their prey'. The word ‘conspiracy' is telling. This must signify that they had formed a conspiracy together to prophesy to the leaders, in Yahweh's name, what they wanted to hear, enabling them ‘in His name' to ‘devour people', steal their possessions, and dispose of many who got in their way, leaving their distressed widows behind (compare Jeremiah 15:8). It was an ungodly combination of false preachers and evil leadership.
It is possible, however, that we are to read here rather ‘whose princes in the midst of her' (which would be 'aser nesi'eha) as in LXX rather than ‘a conspiracy of her prophets (qeser nebi'eha). I never like altering the text without very solid reasons but this change could be supported by two factors. It would mean that we have five separate classes condemned, royal princes (nasi), priests, prophets, aristocracy (sarim) and landed gentry (people of the land, which would include all full citizens), rather than prophets being mentioned twice (Ezekiel 22:28). Furthermore the activities mentioned fit better with princes than with prophets.
But against this change is the question as to how such a distinctive change would take place and not be spotted. The fact is that God may have had the princes in mind but have been more angry that His prophets had misused their status in assisting them by prophesying falsely in their favour. LXX may again have been interpretative rather than literal. And it is difficult to see why the Hebrew text would have been changed in this way by a scribe, even by accident.
But in either case we are to see here the leadership, possibly assisted by the official prophets, misusing their authority and status for selfish and evil purposes, like roaring lions devouring the weak, by dispossessing people, by heavy taxes, by wrong confiscation of goods, by false penalties and by general dishonesty.