Ecclesiastes 4:1

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Evil Oppression on Earth So I again considered all the oppression that continually occurs on earth. This is what I saw: The oppressed were in tears, but no one was comforting them; no one delivers them from the power of their oppressors.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Eccl 3:16 : 16 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.
  • Eccl 5:8 : 8 Government Corruption If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter. For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones over them!
  • Isa 5:7 : 7 Indeed Israel is the vineyard of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the people of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight. He waited for justice, but look what he got– disobedience! He waited for fairness, but look what he got– cries for help!
  • Lam 1:2 : 2 ב(Bet) She weeps bitterly at night; tears stream down her cheeks. She has no one to comfort her among all her lovers. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.
  • Lam 1:9 : 9 ט(Tet) Her menstrual flow has soiled her clothing; she did not consider the consequences of her sin. Her demise was astonishing, and there was no one to comfort her. She cried,“Look, O LORD, on my affliction because my enemy boasts!”
  • Mal 2:13 : 13 You also do this: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears as you weep and groan, because he no longer pays any attention to the offering nor accepts it favorably from you.
  • Mal 3:5 : 5 “I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the resident foreigner and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
  • Mal 3:18 : 18 Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.
  • Matt 26:56 : 56 But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
  • 2 Tim 4:16-17 : 16 At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me– may they not be held accountable for it. 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed for all the Gentiles to hear. And so I was delivered from the lion’s mouth!
  • Jas 5:4 : 4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
  • Isa 51:23 : 23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors who said to you,‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’ You made your back like the ground, and like the street for those who walked over you.”
  • Isa 59:7 : 7 They are eager to do evil, quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful; they crush and destroy.
  • Isa 59:13-15 : 13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the LORD; we turned back from following our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our minds. 14 Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not even able to enter. 15 Honesty has disappeared; the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed. The LORD watches and is displeased, for there is no justice.
  • Eccl 7:7 : 7 Human Wisdom Overturned by Adversity Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart.
  • Exod 1:13-14 : 13 and they made the Israelites serve rigorously. 14 They made their lives bitter by hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous.
  • Exod 1:16 : 16 “When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: If it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she may live.”
  • Exod 1:22 : 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people,“All sons that are born you must throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live.”
  • Exod 2:23-24 : 23 The Call of the Deliverer During that long period of time the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry because of their slave labor went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob,
  • Exod 5:16-19 : 16 No straw is given to your servants, but we are told,‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are even being beaten, but the fault is with your people.” 17 But Pharaoh replied,“You are slackers! Slackers! That is why you are saying,‘Let us go sacrifice to the LORD.’” 18 So now, get back to work! You will not be given straw, but you must still produce your quota of bricks!” 19 The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told,“You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”
  • Deut 28:33 : 33 As for the produce of your land and all your labor, a people you do not know will consume it, and you will be nothing but oppressed and crushed for the rest of your lives.
  • Deut 28:48 : 48 instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty you will serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you. They will place an iron yoke on your neck until they have destroyed you.
  • Judg 4:3 : 3 The Israelites cried out for help to the LORD, because Sisera had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, and he cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
  • Judg 10:7-8 : 7 The LORD was furious with Israel and turned them over to the Philistines and Ammonites. 8 They ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites that eighteenth year– that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead.
  • Neh 5:1-5 : 1 Nehemiah Intervenes on behalf of the Oppressed Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. 2 There were those who said,“With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain grain in order to eat and stay alive.” 3 There were others who said,“We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine.” 4 Then there were those who said,“We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards. 5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen, and our children are just like their children, still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.”
  • Job 6:29 : 29 Relent, let there be no falsehood; reconsider, for my righteousness is intact!
  • Job 16:4 : 4 I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could pile up words against you and I could shake my head at you.
  • Job 19:21-22 : 21 Have pity on me, my friends, have pity on me, for the hand of God has struck me. 22 Why do you pursue me like God does? Will you never be satiated with my flesh?
  • Job 24:7-9 : 7 They spend the night naked because they lack clothing; they have no covering against the cold. 8 They are soaked by mountain rains and huddle in the rocks because they lack shelter. 9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast, the infant of the poor is taken as a pledge. 10 They go about naked, without clothing, and go hungry while they carry the sheaves. 11 They press out the olive oil between the rows of olive trees; they tread the winepresses while they are thirsty. 12 From the city the dying groan, and the wounded cry out for help, but God charges no one with wrongdoing.
  • Job 35:9 : 9 “People cry out because of the excess of oppression; they cry out for help because of the power of the mighty.
  • Ps 10:9-9 : 9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; he lies in ambush, waiting to catch the oppressed; he catches the oppressed by pulling in his net. 10 His victims are crushed and beaten down; they are trapped in his sturdy nets.
  • Ps 12:5 : 5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, because of the painful cries of the needy, I will spring into action,” says the LORD.“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.”
  • Ps 42:3 : 3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; all day long they say to me,“Where is your God?”
  • Ps 42:9 : 9 I will pray to God, my high ridge:“Why do you ignore me? Why must I walk around mourning because my enemies oppress me?”
  • Ps 69:20 : 20 Their insults are painful and make me lose heart; I look for sympathy, but receive none, for comforters, but find none.
  • Ps 80:5 : 5 You have given them tears as food; you have made them drink tears by the measure.
  • Ps 102:8-9 : 8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who mock me use my name in their curses. 9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread, and mix my drink with my tears,
  • Ps 142:4 : 4 Look to the right and see! No one cares about me. I have nowhere to run; no one is concerned about my life.
  • Prov 19:7 : 7 All the relatives of a poor person hate him; how much more do his friends avoid him– one who chases words, which are nothing.
  • Prov 28:3 : 3 A poor person who oppresses the weak is like a driving rain without food.
  • Prov 28:15-16 : 15 Like a roaring lion or a roving bear, so is a wicked ruler over a poor people. 16 The prince who is a great oppressor lacks wisdom, but the one who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

Similar Verses (AI)

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

  • Eccl 4:7-8
    2 verses
    79%

    7Labor Motivated by Greed So I again considered another futile thing on earth:

    8A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments,“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is futile and a burdensome task!

  • Eccl 8:9-10
    2 verses
    77%

    9While applying my mind to everything that happens in this world, I have seen all this: Sometimes one person dominates other people to their harm.

    10Contradictions to the Law of Retribution Not only that, but I have seen the wicked approaching and entering the temple, and as they left the holy temple, they boasted in the city that they had done so. This also is an enigma.

  • Eccl 4:2-4
    3 verses
    75%

    2So I considered those who are dead and gone more fortunate than those who are still alive.

    3But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.

    4Labor Motivated by Envy Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This also is profitless– like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 2:10-12
    3 verses
    75%

    10I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure. So all my accomplishments gave me joy; this was my reward for all my effort.

    11Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded:“All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless– like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”

    12Wisdom is Better than Folly Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king has already done?

  • Eccl 1:12-14
    3 verses
    74%

    12Futility of Secular Accomplishment I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

    13I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.

    14I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!

  • Eccl 4:15-16
    2 verses
    74%

    15I considered all the living who walk on earth, as well as the successor who would arise in his place.

    16There is no end to all the people nor to the past generations, yet future generations will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 2:19-23
    5 verses
    73%

    19Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

    20So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth.

    21For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

    22Painful Days and Restless Nights What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

    23For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!

  • Eccl 6:1
    73%

    1Not Everyone Enjoys Life Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:

  • Eccl 3:16
    73%

    16The 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.

  • Job 30:25
    73%

    25Have I not wept for the unfortunate? Was not my soul grieved for the poor?

  • Job 35:9
    72%

    9“People cry out because of the excess of oppression; they cry out for help because of the power of the mighty.

  • Eccl 9:1
    71%

    1Everyone Will Die So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated– no one knows what lies ahead.

  • Eccl 3:10
    71%

    10I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them occupied.

  • Eccl 8:14
    71%

    14Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said,“This also is an enigma.”

  • Eccl 10:5
    71%

    5I have seen another misfortune on the earth: It is an error a ruler makes.

  • Eccl 5:8
    71%

    8Government Corruption If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter. For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones over them!

  • Ps 69:20
    71%

    20Their insults are painful and make me lose heart; I look for sympathy, but receive none, for comforters, but find none.

  • Eccl 1:3
    71%

    3Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?

  • Eccl 2:17
    70%

    17So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 1:9
    70%

    9What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.

  • Eccl 3:22
    70%

    22So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?

  • Lam 1:16
    70%

    16ע(Ayin) I weep because of these things; my eyes flow with tears. For there is no one in sight who can comfort me or encourage me. My children are desolated because an enemy has prevailed.

  • Eccl 9:13
    70%

    13Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, and it is a great burden to me:

  • Eccl 8:16-17
    2 verses
    69%

    16Limitations of Human Wisdom When I tried to gain wisdom and to observe the activity on earth– even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night–

    17then I discerned all that God has done: No one really comprehends what happens on earth. Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp it. Even if a wise person claimed that he understood, he would not really comprehend it.

  • Eccl 5:13
    69%

    13Materialism Thwarts Enjoyment of Life Here is a misfortune on earth that I have seen: Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.

  • Eccl 5:16
    69%

    16This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?

  • Eccl 7:14
    69%

    14In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.

  • Eccl 9:3
    69%

    3This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives– then they die.

  • Eccl 1:17
    69%

    17So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!

  • Lam 1:21
    69%

    21ש(Sin/Shin) They have heard that I groan, yet there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that you have brought it about. Bring about the day of judgment that you promised so that they may end up like me!

  • Isa 22:4
    69%

    4So I say:“Don’t look at me! I am weeping bitterly. Don’t try to console me concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”

  • Job 3:18
    69%

    18There the prisoners relax together; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

  • Eccl 2:25
    69%

    25For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him.

  • Hab 1:4
    68%

    4For this reason the law lacks power, and justice is never carried out. Indeed, the wicked intimidate the innocent. For this reason justice is perverted.

  • Eccl 3:12
    68%

    12Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,

  • Eccl 2:15
    68%

    15So I thought to myself,“The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to myself,“The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”