Ecclesiastes 8:11

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

When a sentence is not executed at once against a crime, the human heart is encouraged to do evil.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Ps 10:6 : 6 He says to himself,“I will never be shaken, because I experience no calamity.”
  • Isa 26:10 : 10 If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the LORD’s majesty revealed.
  • Rom 2:4-5 : 4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed!
  • Ps 50:21-22 : 21 When you did these things, I was silent, so you thought I was exactly like you. But now I will condemn you and state my case against you! 22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God! Otherwise I will rip you to shreds and no one will be able to rescue you.
  • 2 Pet 3:3-9 : 3 Above all, understand this: In the last days blatant scoffers will come, being propelled by their own evil urges 4 and saying,“Where is his promised return? For ever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately suppress this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water. 6 Through these things the world existing at that time was destroyed when it was deluged with water. 7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare.
  • Matt 24:49-50 : 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee,
  • Isa 5:18-19 : 18 Beware, those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead, who pull sin as with cart ropes. 19 They say,“Let him hurry, let him act quickly, so we can see; let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take shape and come to pass, then we will know it!”
  • Exod 8:15 : 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, just as the LORD had predicted.
  • Exod 8:32 : 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and did not release the people.
  • Job 21:11-15 : 11 They allow their children to run like a flock; their little ones dance about. 12 They sing to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp, and make merry to the sound of the flute. 13 They live out their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace. 14 So they say to God,‘Turn away from us! We do not want to know your ways. 15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain if we were to pray to him?’
  • Isa 57:11 : 11 Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully and not remember me or think about me? Because I have been silent for so long, you are not afraid of me.
  • Jer 42:15 : 15 If you people who remain in Judah do that, then listen to the LORD’s message. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel has said,‘If you are so determined to go to Egypt that you go and settle there,
  • Jer 48:11 : 11 “From its earliest days Moab has lived undisturbed. It has never been taken into exile. Its people are like wine allowed to settle undisturbed on its dregs, never poured out from one jar to another. They are like wine which tastes like it always did, whose aroma has remained unchanged.

Similar Verses (AI)

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

  • Eccl 8:12-14
    3 verses
    79%

    12Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes and still live a long time, yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people– for they stand in fear before him.

    13But it will not go well with the wicked, nor will they prolong their days like a shadow, because they do not stand in fear before God.

    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 9:3
    78%

    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 8:9-10
    2 verses
    76%

    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 8:5-6
    2 verses
    75%

    5Whoever obeys his command will not experience harm, and a wise person knows the proper time and procedure.

    6For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, for the oppression of the king is severe upon his victim.

  • Eccl 3:16-18
    3 verses
    74%

    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.

    17I thought to myself,“God will judge both the righteous and the wicked; for there is an appropriate time for every activity, and there is a time of judgment for every deed.

    18I also thought to myself,“It is for the sake of people, so God can clearly show them that they are like animals.

  • Hab 1:4
    74%

    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 6:1
    74%

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

  • Mic 7:3
    73%

    3They are experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes, prominent men announce what they wish and then they plan it out.

  • Prov 21:7
    72%

    7The violence done by the wicked will drag them away because they have refused to do what is right.

  • Eccl 7:15
    72%

    15Exceptions to the Law of Retribution During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.

  • Prov 1:16
    72%

    16for they are eager to inflict harm, and they hasten to shed blood.

  • Eccl 11:8-10
    3 verses
    72%

    8So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many– all that is about to come is obscure.

    9Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.

    10Banish emotional stress from your mind. and put away pain from your body; for youth and the prime of life are fleeting.

  • Ps 36:1
    72%

    1For the music director; written by the LORD’s servant, David; an oracle. An evil man is rebellious to the core. He does not fear God,

  • Ps 58:2
    71%

    2No! You plan how to do what is unjust; you deal out violence in the earth.

  • Prov 11:31
    71%

    31If the righteous are recompensed on earth, how much more the wicked sinner!

  • 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 3:10-12
    3 verses
    71%

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

    11God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.

    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,

  • Job 4:8
    71%

    8Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same.

  • Prov 24:19
    71%

    19Do not fret because of evil people or be envious of wicked people,

  • Prov 11:18-19
    2 verses
    71%

    18The wicked person earns deceitful wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward.

    19True righteousness leads to life, but the one who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.

  • Isa 3:9
    71%

    9The look on their faces testifies to their guilt; like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. Woe to them! For they bring disaster on themselves.

  • Isa 3:11
    71%

    11Woe to the wicked sinners! For they will get exactly what they deserve.

  • Prov 15:11
    70%

    11Death and Destruction are before the LORD– how much more the hearts of humans!

  • Eccl 12:14
    70%

    14For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

  • Eccl 2:26
    70%

    26For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth– only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile– like chasing the wind!

  • Isa 31:2
    70%

    2Yet he too is wise and he will bring disaster; he does not retract his decree. He will attack the wicked nation, and the nation that helps those who commit sin.

  • Prov 28:5
    70%

    5Evil people do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it all.

  • Prov 19:3
    70%

    3A person’s folly subverts his way, and his heart rages against the LORD.

  • Eccl 10:5
    70%

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

  • Job 21:7
    70%

    7The Wicked Prosper“Why do the wicked go on living, grow old, even increase in power?

  • Eccl 8:16-17
    2 verses
    70%

    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.

  • Prov 11:23
    70%

    23The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

  • Prov 13:21
    70%

    21Calamity pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.

  • Eccl 7:20
    70%

    20For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins.

  • Job 21:30
    70%

    30that the evil man is spared from the day of his misfortune, that he is delivered from the day of God’s wrath?

  • Eccl 5:13
    70%

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

  • Prov 13:12
    69%

    12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.

  • Eccl 9:12
    69%

    12Surely, no one knows his appointed time! Like fish that are caught in a deadly net, and like birds that are caught in a snare– just like them, all people are ensnared at an unfortunate time that falls upon them suddenly.