Ecclesiastes 4:1 Cross References - Matthew

¹ So I turned me, & considred al the violent wrong that is done vnder the sunne: & beholde, the teares of such as were oppressed, & there was no man to comforte them or that wolde deliuer & defende them from the violence of their oppressours.

¹³ And the Egyptians helde the chyldren of Israell in bondage wythoute mercye, ¹⁴ and made theyr lyues bytter, vnto theym, wyth cruell laboure in clay and brycke, and all maner worcke in the fyeldes, and in all maner of seruice, whyche they caused theim to worcke cruellye.

¹⁶ when ye do the offyce of a mydwyfe to the women of the Hebrues, and see in the byrthe tyme that it is a boye, kyl it. But if it be a mayed, lette it lyue.

²² Then Pharao charged al his people saying Al the men children that are borne, cast into the ryuer, and saue the mayd children alyue.

²³ And she bare yet an other sonne, whom he called Elieser, sayinge: the God of my father is myne helper, and hath ryd me out of the handes of Pharao. And it chaunced in processe of tyme, that the kynge of Egypt dyed, and the chyldren of Israel syghed by the reason of labour and cried. ²⁴ And their complaint came vp vnto God from the labour. And God remembred hys promise wyth Abraham, Isaac, & Iacob.

¹⁶ there is no strawe geuen vnto thy seruauntes, and yet they say vnto vs make bryke. And loo, thy seruauntes are beaten, and thy people is fowle intreated. ¹⁷ And he aunswered: idle are ye idle, and therefore ye say: let vs goo and do Sacrifice vnto the Lorde. ¹⁸ Go therefore and worcke, for there shall no strawe be geuen you, & yet se that ye delyuer the whole tale of brycke. ¹⁹ When the officers of the children of Israel sawe them selues in shrode case (in that he said ye shall minysh nothyng of your dayly makyng of brycke)

³³ The frute of thy lande and all thy laboures shall a nacion which thou knowest not, eate, and thou shalt but suffre vyolence only & be oppressed alwaye:

⁴⁸ therfore thou shalt serue thyne enemye which the Lord shall sende vpon the: in hunger and thrust, in nakednesse and in nede of all thynge: & he shall put a yocke of yeron vpon thyne necke, vntyll he haue broughte the to nought.

³ And the chyldren of Israel cryed vnto the Lorde: for he had nyne hundred charettes of yron, he oppressed the chyldren of Israel wyth power .xx. yeares.

⁷ And the Lord was wroth wyth Israell, & solde them into the handes of the Philistines, and into the handes of the chyldren of Ammon: ⁸ which pyld & oppressed the chyldren of Israel in those dayes .xviij. yeare, all that were on the other syde Iordan in the lande of the Amorytes in Galaad.

¹ And there arose a greate complaynte of the people, and of theyr wyues agaynst their brethren the Iewes. ² And there were some that sayde: oure sonnes and doughters are to manye, let vs take corne for them and eate, that we maye lyue. ³ Some sayde: let vs set oure landes, vyneyardes and houses to pledge, and take vp corne in the darth. ⁴ But some sayde: let vs borowe money of the kynges trybute for oure landes and vyneyardes. ⁵ Now are oure brethrens bodyes as oure owne bodyes and their children as oure chyldren: els shoulde we subdue oure sonnes and doughters vnto bondage, & some of oure doughters are subdued already, and no strength is there in oure handes, and other men shall haue oure landes and vyneyardes.

²⁹ Turne into youre owne selues (I praye you) be indifferent iudges, and considre mine vngyltynesse:

⁴ I coulde speake, as ye do also. But woulde God, that youre soule were in my soules steade: then shoulde I heape vp wordes agaynst you, and shake my heade at you.

²¹ Haue pyte vpon me, haue pite vpon me (O ye my frendes) for the hande of the Lorde hath touched me. ²² Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied of my fleshe?

⁷ They are the cause that so many men are naked and bare, hauinge no clothes to couer them and kepe them from coulde: ⁸ So that when the showers in the mountaynes haue rayned vpon them, and they be all wet, they haue none other succoure, but to kepe them among the rockes. ⁹ They spoyle the sucking fatherlesse children and put the dore in preson. ¹⁰ In so muche that they let them go naked withoute clothinge, and yet the hungry beare the sheues. ¹¹ The poore are fayne to laboure in their oyle mylles, yea and to treade in their wyne presses, & yet to suffre thyrst. ¹² The whole cyty cryeth vnto the Lorde with syghynge, the soules of the slayne make their complainte. But God destroieth them not for al this,

⁹ there is a great crye & complaynt made by them that are oppressed with violence, yea euerye man complayneth vpon the cruell arme of tyrauntes.

⁹ He lyeth waytynge secretlye, as ti were a lyon in hys denne. He lurketh that he maye rauyshe the pore, yea, to rauysh the poore, when he hath gotten him into hys net. ¹⁰ Then smyteth he, then oppresseth he and casteth downe the pore with his authoritye.

⁵ Now for the troubles sake of the oppressed, and because of the complainte of the poore I will vp (sayeth the Lord) I wil helpe them, & set them at rest.

³ My teares are my meate daye and nighte whyle it is daylye sayed vnto me: where is now thy God?

⁹ I wyll say vnto God my stony rock: why host thou forgotten me? why go I thus heuely, whyle the enemye oppresseth me?

²⁰ The rebuke breaketh my herte, and maketh me heuy: I loke for some to haue pytye vpon me, but ther is no man: and for some to comforte me, but I fynde none.

⁵ Thou hast fed them with the bread of teares, yea, thou hast geuen them plenteousnes of teares to drynke.

⁸ Myne enemyes reuyle me all the daye longe, they laugh me to scorne, & are sworne together agaynst me. ⁹ I eate ashes with my bread, and myngle my drynke with wepynge.

⁴ I loke vpon my right hande, & se, there is no man that will know me. I haue no place to fle vnto, no man careth for my soule.

⁷ As for the poore, he is hated amonge all hys brethren: yea, hys owne frendes forsake hym, & he that geueth credence vnto wordes getteth nothyng.

³ One pore man oppressinge another by uiolence is lyke a continuall rayne that destroieth the fruyte.

¹⁵ Lyke as a roarynge lyon and an hongry beare, euen so is an vngodly prynce ouer the pore people. ¹⁶ Wher the prynce is wythout vnderstandyng, ther is greate oppression and wronge: but if he be such one as hateth couetousnesse he shall longe raygne.

¹⁶ Moreouer, I saw vnder the sunne vngodlyenesse in the steade of iudgemente, and iniquitye in steade of ryghtuousnesse.

⁸ If thou seyst the poore to be oppressed and wrongeously dealt withall, so that equite & the right of the law is wrasted in the lande: maruell not thou at such iudgement, for one great man kepeth touch with another, and the mightye helpe them selfes together.

⁷ Who so doeth wronge, maketh a wyse man to goo out of hys wytte, and destroyeth agentle herte.

⁷ As for the vyneyarde of the Lorde of Hostes it is the house of Israel, & whole Iuda hys fayre plantynge. Of these he loked for equyte, but se there is wronge: for rightuousnesse, lo, It is but miserye.

²³ & wyll put it in theyr hande that trouble the: whiche haue spoken to thy soule: stoupe doune, that we maye go ouer the: make thy body eauen with the grounde, and as the strete to go vpon.

⁷ Their fete runne to euyll, & they make haste to shed innocent bloude. Their councels are wycked councel, harme and destruccion are in their wayes.

¹³ Namely transgresse and dissemble agaynst the Lorde, and fall awaye from oure God: vsinge presumptuous and trayterous ymaginacions, and castynge false matters in oure hertes. ¹⁴ And therfore is equyte gone a syde, & ryghteousnes standeth farre of: truthe is fallen doune in the strete, and the thinge that is playne and open, maye not be shewed. ¹⁵ Yea, the truth is layde in preson, and he that refraineth him selfe from euyl, must be spoyled. When the Lorde sawe this, it dyspleased him sore, that there was no where any equite.

² Beth. She wepeth sore in the nyght, so that the teares runne downe her chekes: for amonge all her louers, there is none that geueth her eny comforte: ye her nexte frendes abhorre her, and are become her enemyes.

⁹ Teth. Her skyrtes are defyled, she remembred not what wolde folowe: therfore is her fall so greate, and there is no man to comforte her. O Lord, consydre my trouble, for myne enemye hath the vpperhande.

¹³ Nowe haue ye brought it to thys poynte againe, that the aulter of the Lorde is couered with teares wepyng and mourning: so that I will no more regarde the meatofferinge, neyther will I receyue or accepte anye thinge at your handes

⁵ I wil come and punish you, and I my selfe will be a swyf wytnes against the witches, agaynst the aduouterers, agaynste false swearers: yea, and agaynst those, that wrongeouslye kepe backe the hyrelinges dewtye: which vexe the widdowes and the fatherlesse and oppresse the straunger, and feare not me, sayeth the Lord of Hostes.

¹⁸ Turne you therfore, and consydre what difference is betwyxt the ryghteous & vngodly: betwyxt him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not.

⁵⁶ Al this was done that the scriptures of the Prophetes myght be fulfylled.

¹⁶ At my fyrste aunsweryng, no man assisted me, but all forsoke me. I praye God that it maye not be layed to theyr charges: ¹⁷ Notwithstandynge the Lord assisted me, & strenghthed me, that by me the preachynge shoulde be fulfylled to the vttermoste, and that al the Gentyles shoulde heare. And I was delyuered out of the mouth of the Lyon.

⁴ Beholde the hyre of the labourers which haue reped doun your fieldes (which hyer is of you kept backe by fraude) crieth: & the cryes of them whiche haue reped, are entred into the eares of the Lorde Sabaoth