Ecclesiastes 3:16
And I saw under the sun, in the place of judgment, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well.
Additional Resources
Other Translations
King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)
And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
KJV1611 – Modern English
Moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
King James Version 1611 (Original)
And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers
And moreover I saw{H7200} under the sun,{H8121} in the place{H4725} of justice,{H4941} that wickedness{H7562} was there; and in the place{H4725} of righteousness,{H6664} that wickedness{H7562} was there.
King James Version with Strong's Numbers
And moreover I saw{H7200}{(H8804)} under the sun{H8121} the place{H4725} of judgment{H4941}, that wickedness{H7562} was there; and the place{H4725} of righteousness{H6664}, that iniquity{H7562} was there.
Coverdale Bible (1535)
Morouer, I sawe vnder ye Sonne, vngodlynesse in the steade of iudgment, & iniquite in steade of rightuousnesse.
Geneva Bible (1560)
And moreouer I haue seene vnder the sunne the place of iudgement, where was wickednesse, and the place of iustice where was iniquitie.
Bishops' Bible (1568)
Moreouer, I sawe vnder the sunne vngodlynes in the steade of iudgement, & iniquitie in steade of righteousnesse.
Authorized King James Version (1611)
¶ And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, [that] wickedness [was] there; and the place of righteousness, [that] iniquity [was] there.
Webster's Bible (1833)
Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.
Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)
And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment -- there `is' the wicked; and the place of righteousness -- there `is' the wicked.
American Standard Version (1901)
And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.
American Standard Version (1901)
And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.
Bible in Basic English (1941)
And again, I saw under the sun, in the place of the judges, that evil was there; and in the place of righteousness, that evil was there.
World English Bible (2000)
Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.
NET Bible® (New English Translation)
The Problem of Injustice and Oppression I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.
Referenced Verses
- Eccl 4:1 : 1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that is done under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter. Power was on the side of their oppressors, and they had no comforter.
- Eccl 5:8 : 8 The benefit of the land is for everyone; even a king depends on the field being cultivated.
- Isa 59:14 : 14 Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands far off, for truth has stumbled in the streets, and honesty cannot enter.
- Mic 2:2 : 2 They covet fields and seize them; they take houses and rob them. They oppress a man and his house, a person and their inheritance.
- Mic 7:3 : 3 Their hands are skilled at doing evil: the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, and the powerful speak out their selfish desires. Together they weave a web of corrupt schemes.
- Zeph 3:3 : 3 Her officials are roaring lions in her midst; her judges are wolves of the evening, leaving nothing for the morning.
- Matt 26:59 : 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus so that they might put Him to death.
- Acts 23:3 : 3 Then Paul said to him, 'God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit there judging me according to the law, yet in violation of the law you order me to be struck?'
- Jas 2:6 : 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you and drag you into court?
- 1 Kgs 21:9-9 : 9 In those letters she wrote, 'Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people.' 10 Then seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them accuse him, saying, 'You have cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death. 11 So the elders and nobles of this city, who lived there, carried out Jezebel’s instructions, just as she had written in the letters she sent them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 13 Two worthless men came and sat opposite Naboth. They testified against him before the people, saying, 'Naboth has cursed God and the king.' So they took him outside the city, stoned him to death, and he died. 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, 'Naboth has been stoned and is dead.' 15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she said to Ahab, 'Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to sell to you for silver. Naboth is no longer alive, but dead.' 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard. 17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 'Get up and go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Speak to him and say, “Thus says the LORD: Have you murdered and also taken possession?” Then say to him, “Thus says the LORD: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood—yes, yours.”' 20 Ahab said to Elijah, 'So, have you found me, my enemy?' 'I have found you,' he answered, 'because you have devoted yourself to doing evil in the eyes of the LORD.' 21 'This is what the LORD says: I am bringing disaster on you. I will sweep away your descendants and cut off every male in your household, both slave and free, in Israel.
- Ps 58:1-2 : 1 For the director, 'Do Not Destroy,' a Miktam of David. 2 Do you rulers truly speak justice? Do you judge people with fairness?
- Ps 82:2-5 : 2 How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah. 3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know nor do they understand; they wander in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
- Ps 94:21-22 : 21 They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn innocent blood. 22 But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- Eccl 3:17-182 verses84%
17 I said in my heart, 'God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.'
18 I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man, that God is testing them to show them that they are like animals.
- 81%
14 There is a futility that takes place on the earth: righteous people receive what the wicked deserve, and wicked people receive what the righteous deserve. I said, 'This too is vanity.'
- Eccl 8:9-113 verses79%
9 I observed all this as I considered all the work done under the sun: a time when one man has power over another to hurt them.
10 Then I saw the wicked buried, who used to go in and out of the holy place, but now they are forgotten in the city where they acted this way. This too is meaningless.
11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do evil.
- Eccl 7:14-152 verses79%
14 When times are good, be joyful; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.
15 In my fleeting life, I have seen it all: The righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.
- 78%
1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it is great upon humanity.
- Eccl 9:1-33 verses77%
1 So I reflected on all this and set my heart to examine it: that the righteous, the wise, and their deeds are in the hand of God. People do not know whether love or hatred awaits them; everything lies before them.
2 Everything happens alike to everyone: the same fate comes to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the pure and the impure, to those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As with the good person, so with the sinner; as with those who swear oaths, so with those who avoid them.
3 This is the distressing thing about everything that happens under the sun: the same fate befalls all. Moreover, the hearts of humans are full of evil, and madness resides in their hearts during their lives; and after that, they join the dead.
- Hab 1:3-42 verses77%
3 Why do You make me see wrongdoing and observe trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.
4 Therefore, the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so justice comes out distorted.
- 76%
15 Whatever has already been, and what will be has already been; and God seeks what has been pursued.
- 75%
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error that proceeds from a ruler:
- 75%
13 I also saw this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me.
- Eccl 1:13-153 verses75%
13 I set my heart to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a burdensome task God has given to the human race to occupy themselves with!
14 I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun; they are all meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
- 74%
10 I have seen the burden that God has laid on the human race.
- 73%
7 Again, I turned and saw meaninglessness under the sun.
- 73%
1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that is done under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter. Power was on the side of their oppressors, and they had no comforter.
- 73%
6 For every purpose there is a proper time and procedure, though the misery of mankind weighs heavily upon them.
- 73%
1 There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.
- 73%
9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
- 73%
31 If the righteous are repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!
- Eccl 2:11-133 verses73%
11 Yet when I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, behold, everything was meaningless—a chasing after the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.
12 So I turned my attention to consider wisdom, madness, and folly. For what can anyone do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.
13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.
- Eccl 4:3-42 verses73%
3 But better than both is the one who has not yet been born, who has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.
4 And I saw that all toil and all skill in work are driven by one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
- 72%
17 So I hated life, because the work done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
- 72%
12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to rejoice and to do good while they live.
- 72%
17 But you are full of the judgment on the wicked; justice and judgment take hold of you.
- Eccl 8:16-172 verses72%
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to observe the work that is done on earth, even though people do not see sleep with their eyes day or night,
17 then I saw all the work of God, that no one can understand the work that is done under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can comprehend it. Even if the wise claim to know, they cannot truly understand it.
- 72%
8 The benefit of the land is for everyone; even a king depends on the field being cultivated.
- 72%
13 Or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children, there is nothing left for them to inherit.
- 72%
15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD saw this and was displeased, for there was no justice.
- 71%
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
- 71%
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
- 71%
22 So I saw that there is nothing better than for a person to rejoice in their work, for that is their lot. Who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
- 71%
27 The righteous detest the unjust, and the wicked detest the upright.
- 71%
5 The sun rises, and the sun sets, and it hurries back to where it rises.
- 71%
1 If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court for judgment, the judges shall justify the innocent and condemn the guilty.
- 71%
8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.
- 71%
20 Surely there is no one righteous on earth who always does good and never sins.
- 71%
21 For there is a person who labors with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, but then must leave everything to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.
- 71%
16 When the wicked increase, transgression abounds, but the righteous will see their downfall.