Verse 15

Exceptions 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.

Referenced Verses

  • Eccl 8:12-14 : 12 Even 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. 13 But 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. 14 Here 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 6:12 : 12 For no one knows what is best for a person during his life– during the few days of his fleeting life– for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.
  • Eccl 9:1-2 : 1 Everyone 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. 2 Everyone shares the same fate– the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the ceremonially clean and unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
  • Eccl 9:9 : 9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.
  • Isa 65:20 : 20 Never again will one of her infants live just a few days or an old man die before his time. Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, anyone who fails to reach the age of a hundred will be considered cursed.
  • Jer 12:1-2 : 1 LORD, you have always been fair whenever I have complained to you. However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice. Why are wicked people successful? Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives? 2 You plant them like trees and they put down their roots. They grow prosperous and are very fruitful. They always talk about you, but they really care nothing about you.
  • Matt 23:34-35 : 34 “For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, 35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
  • John 16:2 : 2 They will put you out of the synagogue, yet a time is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God.
  • Acts 7:52 : 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become!
  • Gen 47:9 : 9 Jacob said to Pharaoh,“All the years of my travels are 130. All the years of my life have been few and painful; the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.”
  • 1 Sam 22:18-19 : 18 Then the king said to Doeg,“You turn and strike down the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests. He killed on that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 As for Nob, the city of the priests, he struck down with the sword men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep– all with the sword.
  • 1 Kgs 21:13 : 13 The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying,“Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death.
  • 2 Chr 24:21-22 : 21 They plotted against him and by royal decree stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple. 22 King Joash disregarded the loyalty his father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada’s son. As Zechariah was dying, he said,“May the LORD take notice and seek vengeance!”
  • Job 9:22-23 : 22 Accusation of God’s Justice“It is all one! That is why I say,‘He destroys the blameless and the guilty.’ 23 If a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks at the despair of the innocent.
  • Job 21:7-9 : 7 The Wicked Prosper“Why do the wicked go on living, grow old, even increase in power? 8 Their children are firmly established in their presence, their offspring before their eyes. 9 Their houses are safe and without fear; and no rod of punishment from God is upon them. 10 Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry. 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?’
  • Ps 39:6 : 6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”
  • Ps 73:3-9 : 3 For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked. 4 For they suffer no pain; their bodies are strong and well-fed. 5 They are immune to the trouble common to men; they do not suffer as other men do. 6 Arrogance is their necklace, and violence covers them like clothing. 7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; their thoughts are sinful. 8 They mock and say evil things; they proudly threaten violence. 9 They speak as if they rule in heaven, and lay claim to the earth. 10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat, and even suck up the water of the sea. 11 They say,“How does God know what we do? Is the Most High aware of what goes on?” 12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. 13 I concluded,“Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle.
  • Eccl 2:23 : 23 For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!
  • 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 5:16-17 : 16 This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind? 17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.