Ecclesiastes 10:16

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Isa 3:12 : 12 As for my people, their ruler is acting like a child, and those who have authority over them are women. O my people, your guides are the cause of your wandering, turning your footsteps out of the right way.
  • Isa 3:4-5 : 4 And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them. 5 And the people will be crushed, every one by his neighbour; the young will be full of pride against the old, and those of low position will be lifted up against the noble.
  • Isa 5:11-12 : 11 Cursed are those who get up early in the morning to give themselves up to strong drink; who keep on drinking far into the night till they are heated with wine! 12 And corded instruments and wind-instruments and wine are in their feasts: but they give no thought to the work of the Lord, and they are not interested in what his hands are doing.
  • 2 Chr 13:7 : 7 And certain foolish and good-for-nothing men were joined with him, and made themselves strong against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when he was young and untested and not able to keep them back.
  • 2 Chr 33:1-9 : 1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he was ruling for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, copying the disgusting ways of the nations whom the Lord had sent out of the land before the children of Israel. 3 For he put up again the high places which had been pulled down by his father Hezekiah; and he made altars for the Baals, and pillars of wood, and was a worshipper and servant of all the stars of heaven; 4 And he made altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, In Jerusalem will my name be for ever. 5 And he made altars for all the stars of heaven in the two outer squares of the house of the Lord. 6 More than this, he made his children go through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he made use of secret arts, and signs for reading the future, and unnatural powers, and gave positions to those who had control of spirits and to wonder-workers: he did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, moving him to wrath. 7 And he put the image he had made in the house of God, the house of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, the town which I have made mine out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: 8 And never again will I let the feet of Israel be moved out of the land which I have given to their fathers; if only they will take care to do all my orders, even all the law and the orders and the rules given to them by Moses. 9 And Manasseh made Judah and the people of Jerusalem go out of the true way, so that they did more evil than those nations whom the Lord gave up to destruction before the children of Israel. 10 And the word of the Lord came to Manasseh and his people, but they gave no attention. 11 So the Lord sent against them the captains of the army of Assyria, who made Manasseh a prisoner and took him away in chains to Babylon. 12 And crying out to the Lord his God in his trouble, he made himself low before the God of his fathers, 13 And made prayer to him; and in answer to his prayer God let him come back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh was certain that the Lord was God. 14 After this he made an outer wall for the town of David, on the west side of Gihon in the valley, as far as the way into the town by the fish doorway; and he put a very high wall round the Ophel; and he put captains of the army in all the walled towns of Judah. 15 He took away the strange gods and the image out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars he had put up on the hill of the Lord's house and in Jerusalem, and put them out of the town. 16 And he put the altar of the Lord in order, offering peace-offerings and praise-offerings on it, and said that all Judah were to be servants of the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 However, the people still made offerings in the high places, but only to the Lord their God. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words which the seers said to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are recorded among the acts of the kings of Israel. 19 And the prayer which he made to God, and how God gave him an answer, and all his sin and his wrongdoing, and the places where he made high places and put up pillars of wood and images, before he put away his pride, are recorded in the history of the seers. 20 So Manasseh went to rest with his fathers, and they put his body to rest in his house, and Amon his son became king in his place.
  • 2 Chr 36:2 : 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king; he was ruling in Jerusalem for three months.
  • 2 Chr 36:5 : 5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king; he was ruling in Jerusalem for eleven years, and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God.
  • 2 Chr 36:9 : 9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king; he was ruling in Jerusalem for three months and ten days, and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
  • 2 Chr 36:11 : 11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king; he was ruling in Jerusalem for eleven years.
  • Prov 20:1-2 : 1 Wine makes men foolish, and strong drink makes men come to blows; and whoever comes into error through these is not wise. 2 The wrath of a king is like the loud cry of a lion: he who makes him angry does wrong against himself.
  • Isa 28:7-8 : 7 And further, these are uncertain through wine, and have gone out of the right way through strong drink: the priest and the prophet are uncertain through strong drink, they are overcome by wine, they have gone out of the way through strong drink; their vision is false, they go wrong in their decisions. 8 For all the tables are covered with coughed-up food, so that there is not a clean place.
  • Jer 21:12 : 12 O family of David, this is what the Lord has said: Do what is right in the morning, and make free from the hands of the cruel one him whose goods have been violently taken away, or my wrath will go out like fire, burning so that no one may put it out, because of the evil of your doings.
  • Hos 7:5-7 : 5 On the day of our king, the rulers made him ill with the heat of wine; his hand was stretched out with the men of pride. 6 For they have made their hearts ready like an oven, while they are waiting secretly; their wrath is sleeping all night; in the morning it is burning like a flaming fire. 7 They are all heated like an oven, and they put an end to their judges; all their kings have been made low; not one among them makes prayer to me.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 10:17-18
    2 verses
    87%

    17Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.

    18When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.

  • Isa 3:4-6
    3 verses
    74%

    4And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them.

    5And the people will be crushed, every one by his neighbour; the young will be full of pride against the old, and those of low position will be lifted up against the noble.

    6When one man puts his hand on another in his father's house, and says, You have clothing, be our ruler and be responsible for us in our sad condition:

  • Isa 7:16
    73%

    16For before the child is old enough to make a decision between evil and good, the land whose two kings you are now fearing will have become waste.

  • Eccl 4:13-14
    2 verses
    73%

    13A young man who is poor and wise is better than a king who is old and foolish and will not be guided by the wisdom of others.

    14Because out of a prison the young man comes to be king, though by birth he was only a poor man in the kingdom.

  • Prov 30:22
    73%

    22A servant when he becomes a king; a man without sense when his wealth is increased;

  • Prov 19:10
    72%

    10Material comfort is not good for the foolish; much less for a servant to be put over rulers.

  • Isa 5:11
    72%

    11Cursed are those who get up early in the morning to give themselves up to strong drink; who keep on drinking far into the night till they are heated with wine!

  • Hos 10:15
    71%

    15So will Beth-el do to you because of your evil-doing; at dawn will the king of Israel be cut off completely.

  • Prov 28:2
    71%

    2Because of the sin of the land, its troubles are increased; but by a man of wisdom and knowledge they will be put out like a fire.

  • Eccl 10:5-7
    3 verses
    70%

    5There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler:

    6The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.

    7I have seen servants on horses, and rulers walking on the earth as servants.

  • Prov 29:2
    70%

    2When the upright have power, the people are glad; when an evil man is ruler, grief comes on the people.

  • Prov 28:15-16
    2 verses
    70%

    15Like a loud-voiced lion and a wandering bear, is an evil ruler over a poor people.

    16The prince who has no sense is a cruel ruler; but he who has no desire to get profit for himself will have long life.

  • Prov 31:4
    70%

    4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to take wine, or for rulers to say, Where is strong drink?

  • Hos 7:5
    70%

    5On the day of our king, the rulers made him ill with the heat of wine; his hand was stretched out with the men of pride.

  • Zeph 3:3
    69%

    3Her rulers are like loud-voiced lions in her; her judges are wolves of the evening, crushing up the bones before the morning.

  • Hos 13:10
    69%

    10Where is your king, that he may be your saviour? and all your rulers, that they may take up your cause? of whom you said, Give me a king and rulers.

  • Eccl 10:15
    69%

    15The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.

  • Prov 17:7
    69%

    7Fair words are not to be looked for from a foolish man, much less are false lips in a ruler.

  • Ps 2:10
    69%

    10So now be wise, you kings: take his teaching, you judges of the earth.

  • Joel 1:5
    69%

    5Come out of your sleep, you who are overcome with wine, and give yourselves to weeping; give cries of sorrow, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it has been cut off from your mouths.

  • 1 Sam 12:25
    69%

    25But if you still do evil, destruction will overtake you and your king.

  • Jer 4:9
    69%

    9And it will come about in that day, says the Lord, that the heart of the king will be dead in him, and the hearts of the rulers; and the priests will be overcome with fear, and the prophets with wonder.

  • Isa 32:1
    69%

    1See, a king will be ruling in righteousness, and chiefs will give right decisions.

  • Prov 23:1
    69%

    1When you take your seat at the feast with a ruler, give thought with care to what is before you;

  • Isa 3:12
    69%

    12As for my people, their ruler is acting like a child, and those who have authority over them are women. O my people, your guides are the cause of your wandering, turning your footsteps out of the right way.

  • Prov 4:17
    69%

    17The bread of evil-doing is their food, the wine of violent acts their drink.

  • Isa 21:5
    69%

    5They make ready the table, they put down the covers, they take food and drink. Up! you captains; put oil on your breastplates.

  • Isa 3:14
    69%

    14The Lord comes to be the judge of their responsible men and of their rulers: it is you who have made waste the vine-garden, and in your houses is the property of the poor which you have taken by force.

  • Jer 22:15
    68%

    15Are you to be a king because you make more use of cedar than your father? did not your father take food and drink and do right, judging in righteousness, and then it was well for him?

  • Isa 9:16
    68%

    16For the guides of this people are the cause of their wandering from the right way, and those who are guided by them come to destruction.

  • Isa 28:1
    68%

    1Ho! crown of pride of those who are given up to wine in Ephraim, and the dead flower of his glory which is on the head of those who are overcome by strong drink!

  • Isa 8:21
    68%

    21And he will go through the land in bitter trouble and in need of food; and when he is unable to get food, he will become angry, cursing his king and his God, and his eyes will be turned to heaven on high;

  • Lam 5:12-13
    2 verses
    68%

    12Their hands put princes to death by hanging: the faces of old men were not honoured.

    13The young men were crushing the grain, and the boys were falling under the wood.

  • Prov 16:10
    68%

    10Decision is in the lips of the king: his mouth will not go wrong in judging.

  • Hos 7:3
    68%

    3In their sin they make a king for themselves, and rulers in their deceit.

  • Hab 2:15
    68%

    15A curse on him who gives his neighbour the wine of his wrath, making him overcome with strong drink from the cup of his passion, so that you may be a witness of their shame!

  • Ps 107:40
    68%

    40He puts an end to the pride of kings, and sends them wandering in the waste lands where there is no way.

  • Hos 10:13
    68%

    13You have been ploughing sin, you have got in a store of evil, the fruit of deceit has been your food: for you put faith in your way, in the number of your men of war.

  • Job 3:14
    68%

    14With kings and the wise ones of the earth, who put up great houses for themselves;

  • Prov 16:12
    68%

    12Evil-doing is disgusting to kings: for the seat of the ruler is based on righteousness.

  • Prov 13:23
    68%

    23There is much food in the ploughed land of the poor; but it is taken away by wrongdoing.