Ecclesiastes 2:20
So my mind was turned to grief for all the trouble I had taken and all my wisdom under the sun.
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Referenced Verses
- Gen 43:14 : 14 So they took what their father said for the man, and twice as much money in their hands, and Benjamin, and went on their journey to Egypt, and came before Joseph.
- Job 17:11-15 : 11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the desires of my heart. 12 They are changing night into day; they say, The light is near the dark. 13 If I am waiting for the underworld as my house, if I have made my bed in the dark; 14 If I say to the earth, You are my father; and to the worm, My mother and my sister; 15 Where then is my hope? and who will see my desire?
- Ps 39:6-7 : 6 Truly, every man goes on his way like an image; he is troubled for no purpose: he makes a great store of wealth, and has no knowledge of who will get it. 7 And now, Lord, what am I waiting for? my hope is in you.
- 1 Cor 15:19 : 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most unhappy.
- 2 Cor 1:8-9 : 8 For it is our desire that you may not be without knowledge of our trouble which came on us in Asia, that the weight of it was very great, more than our power, so that it seemed that we had no hope even of life: 9 Yes, we ourselves have had the answer of death in ourselves, so that our hope might not be in ourselves, but in God who is able to give life to the dead: 10 Who gave us salvation from so great a death: on whom we have put our hope that he will still go on to give us salvation;
- 1 Thess 3:3-4 : 3 So that no man might be moved by these troubles; because you see that these things are part of God's purpose for us. 4 And when we were with you, we said to you that trouble was before us; and so it came about, as you see.
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- Eccl 2:10-134 verses89%
10 And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward.
11 Then I saw all the works which my hands had made, and everything I had been working to do; and I saw that all was to no purpose and desire for wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 And I went again in search of wisdom and of foolish ways. What may the man do who comes after the king? The thing which he has done before.
13 Then I saw that wisdom is better than foolish ways--as the light is better than the dark.
- Eccl 2:17-193 verses88%
17 So I was hating life, because everything under the sun was evil to me: all is to no purpose and desire for wind.
18 Hate had I for all my work which I had done, because the man who comes after me will have its fruits.
19 And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.
- Eccl 2:21-266 verses87%
21 Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.
22 What does a man get for all his work, and for the weight of care with which he has done his work under the sun?
23 All his days are sorrow, and his work is full of grief. Even in the night his heart has no rest. This again is to no purpose.
24 There is nothing better for a man than taking meat and drink, and having delight in his work. This again I saw was from the hand of God.
25 Who may take food or have pleasure without him?
26 To the man with whom he is pleased, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of getting goods together and storing up wealth, to give to him in whom God has pleasure. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.
- Eccl 1:13-142 verses84%
13 And I gave my heart to searching out in wisdom all things which are done under heaven: it is a hard thing which God has put on the sons of men to do.
14 I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.
- Eccl 1:16-172 verses82%
16 I said to my heart, See, I have become great and am increased in wisdom more than any who were before me in Jerusalem--yes, my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.
17 And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind.
- Eccl 4:7-82 verses82%
7 Then I came back, and I saw an example of what is to no purpose under the sun.
8 It is one who is by himself, without a second, and without son or brother; but there is no end to all his work, and he has never enough of wealth. For whom, then, am I working and keeping myself from pleasure? This again is to no purpose, and a bitter work.
- Eccl 1:2-32 verses82%
2 All is to no purpose, said the Preacher, all the ways of man are to no purpose.
3 What is a man profited by all his work which he does under the sun?
- 81%
15 Then said I in my heart: As it comes to the foolish man, so will it come to me; so why have I been wise overmuch? Then I said in my heart: This again is to no purpose.
- 80%
4 And I saw that the cause of all the work and of everything which is done well was man's envy of his neighbour. This again is to no purpose and a desire for wind.
- Eccl 8:15-173 verses79%
15 So I gave praise to joy, because there is nothing better for a man to do under the sun than to take meat and drink and be happy; for that will be with him in his work all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.
16 When I gave my mind to the knowledge of wisdom and to seeing the business which is done on the earth (and there are those whose eyes see not sleep by day or by night),
17 Then I saw all the work of God, and that man may not get knowledge of the work which is done under the sun; because, if a man gives hard work to the search he will not get knowledge, and even if the wise man seems to be coming to the end of his search, still he will be without knowledge.
- Eccl 2:1-44 verses79%
1 I said in my heart, I will give you joy for a test; so take your pleasure--but it was to no purpose.
2 Of laughing I said, It is foolish; and of joy--What use is it?
3 I made a search with my heart to give pleasure to my flesh with wine, still guiding my heart with wisdom, and to go after foolish things, so that I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under the heavens all the days of their life.
4 I undertook great works, building myself houses and planting vine-gardens.
- 78%
25 I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
- Eccl 3:9-102 verses78%
9 What profit has the worker in the work which he does?
10 I saw the work which God has put on the sons of man.
- 77%
22 So I saw that there is nothing better than for a man to have joy in his work--because that is his reward. Who will make him see what will come after him?
- 77%
8 All things are to no purpose, says the Preacher, all is to no purpose.
- Eccl 8:9-102 verses76%
9 All this have I seen, and have given my heart to all the work which is done under the sun: there is a time when man has power over man for his destruction.
10 And then I saw evil men put to rest, taken even from the holy place; and they went about and were praised in the town because of what they had done. This again is to no purpose.
- Eccl 6:11-122 verses76%
11 There are words without number for increasing what is to no purpose, but what is man profited by them?
12 Who is able to say what is good for man in life all the days of his foolish life which he goes through like a shade? who will say what is to be after him under the sun?
- 76%
16 All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.
- Eccl 4:15-162 verses76%
15 I saw all the living under the sun round the young man who was to be ruler in place of the king.
16 There was no end of all the people, of all those whose head he was, but they who come later will have no delight in him. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.
- 75%
1 All this I took to heart, and my heart saw it all: that the upright and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; and men may not be certain if it will be love or hate; all is to no purpose before them.
- 75%
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is hard on men;
- 75%
12 I am certain that there is nothing better for a man than to be glad, and to do good while life is in him.
- 75%
10 Whatever comes to your hand to do with all your power, do it because there is no work, or thought, or knowledge, or wisdom in the place of the dead to which you are going.
- 74%
13 This again I have seen under the sun as wisdom and it seemed great to me.
- 74%
3 This is evil in all things which are done under the sun: that there is one fate for all, and the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; while they have life their hearts are foolish, and after that--to the dead.
- 74%
18 I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, so that God may put them to the test and that they may see themselves as beasts.
- 73%
1 And again I saw all the cruel things which are done under the sun; there was the weeping of those who have evil done to them, and they had no comforter: and from the hands of the evil-doers there went out power, but they had no comforter.