Ecclesiastes 8:9

The World Marred By Oppression And Injustice

⁸
There is no man who has power and authority over the wind to restrain the wind,
Nor does he have authority over the day of death;
There is no discharge [from service] during time of war,
And evil will not rescue those who [actively seek to] practice it. ⁹ All this I have seen while applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has exercised power over others to their detriment. ¹⁰ So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out of the holy place [but did not thereby escape their doom], and they are [praised in spite of their evil and] soon forgotten in the city where they did such things. This too is futility (vanity, emptiness).

As One Man

In the World

On Earth

Under the Sun

Exodus 14:5-9

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this that we have done? We have let Israel go from serving us!”

Ecclesiastes 5:8

If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight [of corruption]; for a higher official watches over another official, and there are higher ones over them [looking out for one another].

Exodus 14:28

The waters returned and covered the chariots and the charioteers, and all the army of Pharaoh that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them survived.

Deuteronomy 2:30

But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to travel through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today.

2 Kings 14:10-12

You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up [in pride]. Enjoy your glory but stay at home; for why should you plunge into misery so that you, even you, would fall [at my hand], and Judah with you?”

2 Kings 25:7

They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him [hand and foot] with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 3:10

I have seen the task which God has given to the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

Ecclesiastes 4:7-8

Then I looked again at vanity under the sun [in one of its peculiar forms].

Ecclesiastes 5:13

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being kept and hoarded by their owner to his own misery.

Ecclesiastes 7:25

I turned around and directed my heart to know, to investigate and to seek [skillful and godly] wisdom and the reason for things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness [leading to stupidity and recklessness].