Ecclesiastes 4:1

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

I returned

Job 6:29

Malachi 3:18

And considered

The tears

James 5:4

They had

General references

Bible References

I returned

Relent, let there be no falsehood; reconsider, for my righteousness is intact!

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.

And considered

I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.

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!

Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart.

and they made the Israelites serve rigorously.

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.

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."

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.

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.

The Lord was furious with Israel and turned them over to the Philistines and Ammonites.

Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.

They spend the night naked because they lack clothing; they have no covering against the cold.

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.

A poor person who oppresses the weak is like a driving rain without food.

Indeed Israel is the vineyard of the Lord who commands 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!

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."

They are eager to do evil, quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful; they crush and destroy.

"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 immigrant and in this way show they do not fear me," says the Lord who rules over all.

The tears

I cannot eat, I weep day and night; all day long they say to me, "Where is your God?"

You have given them tears as food; you have made them drink tears by the measure.

All day long my enemies taunt me; those who mock me use my name in their curses.

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.

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 hosts.

They had

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.

Have pity on me, my friends, have pity on me, for the hand of God has struck me.

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

Look to the right and see! No one cares about me. I have nowhere to run; no one is concerned about my life.

All the relatives of a poor person hate him; how much more do his friends avoid him -- he pursues them with words, but they do not respond.

(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.

But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled.

At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me -- may they not be held accountable for it.

General references

I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.

So I again considered another futile thing on earth:

The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?

Why do you force me to witness injustice? Why do you put up with wrongdoing? Destruction and violence confront me; conflict is present and one must endure strife.