Ecclesiastes 5:8

Good News Translation

Don't be surprised when you see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are protected by still higher officials.

Cross References

2 Chronicles 26:10

He also built fortified towers in the open country and dug many cisterns, because he had large herds of livestock in the western foothills and plains. Because he loved farming, he encouraged the people to plant vineyards in the hill country and to farm the fertile land.

Job 24:23

God may let them live secure, but keeps an eye on them all the time.

Psalm 12:5

“But now I will come,” says the Lord, “because the needy are oppressed and the persecuted groan in pain. I will give them the security they long for.”

Psalm 55:9

Confuse the speech of my enemies, O Lord! I see violence and riots in the city,

Psalm 82:1

God presides in the heavenly council; in the assembly of the gods he gives his decision:

Psalm 83:18

May they know that you alone are the Lord, supreme ruler over all the earth.

Psalm 95:3

For the Lord is a mighty God, a mighty king over all the gods.

Proverbs 22:16

If you make gifts to rich people or oppress the poor to get rich, you will become poor yourself.

Proverbs 24:12

You may say that it is none of your business, but God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch on you; he knows. And he will reward you according to what you do.

Proverbs 8:17

I love those who love me; whoever looks for me can find me.

Ecclesiastes 3:16

In addition, I have also noticed that in this world you find wickedness where justice and right ought to be.

Ecclesiastes 4:1

Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side.

Ecclesiastes 5:9

Even a king depends on the harvest.

Ecclesiastes 7:7

You may be wise, but if you cheat someone, you are acting like a fool. If you take a bribe, you ruin your character.

Ecclesiastes 8:9

I saw all this when I thought about the things that are done in this world, a world where some people have power and others have to suffer under them.

Isaiah 10:12

But the Lord says, “When I finish what I am doing on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the emperor of Assyria for all his boasting and all his pride.”

Isaiah 3:15

You have no right to crush my people and take advantage of the poor. I, the Sovereign Lord Almighty, have spoken.”

Isaiah 37:36

An angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!

Isaiah 5:7

Israel is the vineyard of the Lord Almighty; the people of Judah are the vines he planted. He expected them to do what was good, but instead they committed murder. He expected them to do what was right, but their victims cried out for justice.

Isaiah 57:15

“I am the high and holy God, who lives forever. I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and repentant, so that I can restore their confidence and hope.

Ezekiel 18:18

His father, on the other hand, cheated and robbed and always did evil to everyone. And so he died because of the sins he himself had committed.

Amos 5:12

I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. You persecute good people, take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts.

Amos 6:12

Do horses gallop on rocks? Does anyone plow the sea with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison, and right into wrong.

Micah 2:9

You drive the women of my people out of the homes they love, and you have robbed their children of my blessings forever.

Zechariah 8:6

“This may seem impossible to those of the nation who are now left, but it's not impossible for me.

Malachi 3:5

The Lord Almighty says, “I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners—against all who do not respect me.

Luke 1:32

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was,

Luke 1:35

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:76

“You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his road for him,

Acts 12:23

At once the angel of the Lord struck Herod down, because he did not give honor to God. He was eaten by worms and died.

Romans 11:33

How great are God's riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways?

James 2:13

For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgment.

1 Peter 4:12

My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you.

1 John 3:13

So do not be surprised, my friends, if the people of the world hate you.