Ecclesiastes 2:26

Bible in Basic English (1941)

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.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Prov 13:22 : 22 The heritage of the good man is handed down to his children's children; and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the upright man.
  • Job 27:16-17 : 16 Though he may get silver together like dust, and make ready great stores of clothing; 17 He may get them ready, but the upright will put them on, and he who is free from sin will take the silver for a heritage.
  • John 16:24 : 24 Up to now you have made no request in my name: do so, and it will be answered, so that your hearts may be full of joy.
  • Prov 3:13-18 : 13 Happy is the man who makes discovery of wisdom, and he who gets knowledge. 14 For trading in it is better than trading in silver, and its profit greater than bright gold. 15 She is of more value than jewels, and nothing for which you may have a desire is fair in comparison with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand, and in her left are wealth and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of delight, and all her goings are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to all who take her in their hands, and happy is everyone who keeps her.
  • Prov 28:8 : 8 He who makes his wealth greater by taking interest, only gets it together for him who has pity on the poor.
  • Eccl 1:14 : 14 I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.
  • Isa 3:10-11 : 10 Happy is the upright man! for he will have joy of the fruit of his ways. 11 Unhappy is the sinner! for the reward of his evil doings will come on him.
  • Luke 1:6 : 6 They were upright in the eyes of God, keeping all the rules and orders of God, and doing no wrong.
  • Job 32:8 : 8 But truly it is the spirit in man, even the breath of the Ruler of all, which gives them knowledge.
  • Gen 7:1 : 1 And the Lord said to Noah, Take all your family and go into the ark, for you only in this generation have I seen to be upright.
  • 2 Chr 31:20-21 : 20 This Hezekiah did through all Judah; he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. 21 And for everything he undertook, in connection with the work of the house of God and his law and orders, he got directions from God and did it with serious purpose; and things went well for him.
  • Rom 14:17-18 : 17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 And he who in these things is Christ's servant, is pleasing to God and has the approval of men.
  • 1 Cor 1:30-31 : 30 But God has given you a place in Christ Jesus, through whom God has given us wisdom and righteousness and salvation, and made us holy: 31 So that, as it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord.
  • Gal 5:22-23 : 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith, 23 Gentle behaviour, control over desires: against such there is no law.
  • Col 1:9-9 : 9 For this reason, we, from the day when we had word of it, keep on in prayer for you, that you may be full of the knowledge of his purpose, with all wisdom and experience of the Spirit, 10 Living uprightly in the approval of the Lord, giving fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy; 12 Giving praise to the Father who has given us a part in the heritage of the saints in light;
  • Col 3:16-17 : 16 Let the word of Christ be in you in all wealth of wisdom; teaching and helping one another with songs of praise and holy words, making melody to God with grace in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in act, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving praise to God the Father through him.
  • Jas 3:17 : 17 But the wisdom which is from heaven is first holy, then gentle, readily giving way in argument, full of peace and mercy and good works, not doubting, not seeming other than it is.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 2:19-25
    7 verses
    84%

    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.

    20 So my mind was turned to grief for all the trouble I had taken and all my wisdom under the sun.

    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?

  • Eccl 8:14-15
    2 verses
    79%

    14 There is a thing which is to no purpose done on the earth: that there are good men to whom is given the same punishment as those who are evil, and there are evil men who get the reward of the good. I say that this again is to no purpose.

    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.

  • Eccl 3:12-13
    2 verses
    78%

    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.

    13 And for every man to take food and drink, and have joy in all his work, is a reward from God.

  • Eccl 2:10-11
    2 verses
    78%

    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.

  • Eccl 1:13-14
    2 verses
    78%

    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.

  • 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?

  • Eccl 5:18-19
    2 verses
    77%

    18 Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.

    19 He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.

  • Eccl 1:17-18
    2 verses
    77%

    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.

    18 Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow.

  • 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 6:1-2
    2 verses
    77%

    1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is hard on men;

    2 A man to whom God gives money, wealth, and honour so that he has all his desires but God does not give him the power to have joy of it, and a strange man takes it. This is to no purpose and an evil disease.

  • 17 So I was hating life, because everything under the sun was evil to me: all is to no purpose and desire for wind.

  • Eccl 7:13-14
    2 verses
    76%

    13 Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?

    14 In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.

  • Eccl 6:8-9
    2 verses
    75%

    8 What have the wise more than the foolish? and what has the poor man by walking wisely before the living?

    9 What the eyes see is better than the wandering of desire. This is to no purpose and a desire for wind.

  • 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 3:9-10
    2 verses
    75%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 1 I said in my heart, I will give you joy for a test; so take your pleasure--but it was to no purpose.

  • 16 All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.

  • 3 What is a man profited by all his work which he does 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 6:11-12
    2 verses
    74%

    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?

  • 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.

  • 20 Why does he give light to him who is in trouble, and life to the bitter in soul;

  • 8 All things are to no purpose, says the Preacher, all is to no purpose.

  • 6 For every purpose there is a time and a decision, because the sorrow of man is great in him.

  • 8 But even if a man's life is long and he has joy in all his years, let him keep in mind the dark days, because they will be great in number. Whatever may come is to no purpose.

  • 6 One hand full of rest is better than two hands full of trouble and desire for wind.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 23 It is sport to the foolish man to do evil, but the man of good sense takes delight in wisdom.

  • 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.

  • 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.