Quotes About Authority

Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.

As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.

a strutting rooster; a he-goat; and a king with his army around him.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,

I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.

If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.

Keep the kingís command, I say, because of your oath before God.

Do not hasten to leave his presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.

For the kingís word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

All this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.

The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:

I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.

Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.

The words of the wise are like goads, and the anthologies of the masters are like firmly embedded nails driven by a single Shepherd.

Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.

the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder,

the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter.

“I will make mere lads their leaders, and children will rule over them.”

A man will seize his brother within his fatherís house: “You have a cloak—you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of rubble.”

Youths oppress My people, and women rule over them. O My people, your guides mislead you; they turn you from your paths.

The LORD arises to contend; He stands to judge the people.