Ecclesiastes 5:8

Powerful Bureaucrats Exploit The Helpless Poor

⁷ For many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God. ⁸ If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don’t be astonished at the situation, because one official protects another official, and higher officials protect them. ⁹ The profit from the land is taken by all; the king is served by the field.

Justice and Righteousness

Most High

Oppression of the Poor

Judgment And Justice

Psalm 12:5

“Because of the oppression of the afflicted
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.”

Ecclesiastes 4:1

Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them.

Psalm 82:1

A psalm of Asaph.God has taken His place in the divine assembly;
He judges among the gods:

Ecclesiastes 3:16

I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness.

1 Kings 21:19-20

Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered and also taken possession?’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick your blood!’”

1 Chronicles 21:15-16

Then God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but when the angel was about to destroy the city, the Lord looked, relented concerning the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Job 20:19-29

For he oppressed and abandoned the poor;
he seized a house he did not build.

Job 27:8-23

For what hope does the godless man have when he is cut off,
when God takes away his life?

Psalm 10:17-18

Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,

Psalm 55:9

Lord, confuse and confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city;

Psalm 58:10-11

The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

Psalm 83:18

May they know that You alone—
whose name is Yahweh—
are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 95:3

For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.

Psalm 140:11-12

Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.
Let evil relentlessly hunt down a violent man.

Proverbs 8:17

I love those who love me,
and those who search for me find me.

Isaiah 3:15

Why do you crush My people
and grind the faces of the poor?”
This is the declaration
of the Lord God of Hosts.

Isaiah 5:7

For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah,
the plant He delighted in.
He looked for justice
but saw injustice,
for righteousness,
but heard cries of wretchedness.

Isaiah 10:5-7

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger—
the staff in their hands is My wrath.

Isaiah 10:12

But when the Lord finishes all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant acts and the proud look in his eyes.”

Isaiah 37:36

Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!

Isaiah 46:10-11

I declare the end from the beginning,
and from long ago what is not yet done,
saying: My plan will take place,
and I will do all My will.

Isaiah 57:15

For the High and Exalted One
who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this:
“I live in a high and holy place,
and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and revive the heart of the oppressed.

Isaiah 59:13-16

transgression and deception against the Lord,
turning away from following our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.

Jeremiah 22:17-19

But you have eyes and a heart for nothing
except your own dishonest profit,
shedding innocent blood
and committing extortion and oppression.

Ezekiel 22:6-14

“Look, every prince of Israel within you has used his strength to shed blood.

Amos 5:12

For I know your crimes are many
and your sins innumerable.
They oppress the righteous, take a bribe,
and deprive the poor of justice at the gates.

Amos 6:2-6

Cross over to Calneh and see;
go from there to great Hamath;
then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Is their territory larger than yours?

Amos 6:12

Do horses gallop on the cliffs;
does anyone plow there with oxen?
Yet you have turned justice into poison
and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—

Amos 8:4-7

Hear this, you who trample on the needy
and do away with the poor of the land,

Micah 2:1-3

Woe to those who dream up wickedness
and prepare evil plans on their beds!
At morning light they accomplish it
because the power is in their hands.

Micah 2:9

You force the women of My people
out of their comfortable homes,
and you take My blessing
from their children forever.

Micah 3:1-4

Then I said, “Now listen, leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel.
Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?

Micah 3:9-12

Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice
and pervert everything that is right,

Micah 6:10-13

Are there still the treasures of wickedness
and the accursed short measure
in the house of the wicked?

Habakkuk 1:2-3

How long, Lord, must I call for help
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?

Habakkuk 1:12-13

Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God?
My Holy One, You will not die.
Lord, You appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock, You destined them to punish us.

Zechariah 7:9-13

“The Lord of Hosts says this: Make fair decisions. Show faithful love and compassion to one another.

Zechariah 8:6

The Lord of Hosts says this: “Though it may seem incredible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem incredible to Me?”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

Malachi 3:5

“I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner. They do not fear Me,” says the Lord of Hosts.

Matthew 13:41-42

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness.

Luke 1:32

He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give Him
the throne of His father David.

Luke 1:35

The angel replied to her:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore, the holy One to be born
will be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:76

And child, you will be called
a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare His ways,

Acts 4:27-28

“For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed,

Acts 12:7-10

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up!” Then the chains fell off his wrists.

Acts 12:23

At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died.

Romans 11:33

Oh, the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments
and untraceable His ways!

James 2:13

For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 5:2-7

Your wealth is ruined and your clothes are moth-eaten.

1 Peter 4:12

Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you.

1 John 3:13

Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

Revelation 17:6-7

Then I saw that the woman was drunk on the blood of the saints and on the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.