Ecclesiastes 7:7

The Message

Brutality stupefies even the wise And destroys the strongest heart.

Cross References

Exodus 23:8

“Don’t take bribes. Bribes blind perfectly good eyes and twist the speech of good people.

Proverbs 17:23

The wicked take bribes under the table; they show nothing but contempt for justice.

Proverbs 17:8

Receiving a gift is like getting a rare gemstone; any way you look at it, you see beauty refracted.

Ecclesiastes 4:1

Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes place on this planet—the tears of the victims, no one to comfort them; the iron grip of oppressors, no one to rescue the victims from them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead instead of the living who are still alive. But luckier than the dead or the living is the person who has never even been, who has never seen the bad business that takes place on this earth.

Ecclesiastes 5:8

Don’t be too upset when you see the poor kicked around, and justice and right violated all over the place. Exploitation filters down from one petty official to another. There’s no end to it, and nothing can be done about it. But the good earth doesn’t cheat anyone—even a bad king is honestly served by a field.

Ecclesiastes 8:9

All this I observed as I tried my best to understand all that’s going on in this world. As long as men and women have the power to hurt each other, this is the way it is.

Isaiah 33:15

The answer’s simple: Live right, speak the truth, despise exploitation, refuse bribes, reject violence, avoid evil amusements. This is how you raise your standard of living! A safe and stable way to live. A nourishing, satisfying way to live.