Ecclesiastes 9:12

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Even man has no knowledge of his time; like fishes taken in an evil net, or like birds taken by deceit, are the sons of men taken in an evil time when it comes suddenly on them.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Prov 29:6 : 6 In the steps of an evil man there is a net for him, but the upright man gets away quickly and is glad.
  • Eccl 8:5-7 : 5 Whoever keeps the law will come to no evil: and a wise man's heart has knowledge of time and of decision. 6 For every purpose there is a time and a decision, because the sorrow of man is great in him. 7 No one is certain what is to be, and who is able to say to him when it will be?
  • 1 Thess 5:3 : 3 When they say, There is peace and no danger, then sudden destruction will come on them, as birth-pains on a woman with child; and they will not be able to get away from it.
  • Luke 21:34-36 : 34 But give attention to yourselves, for fear that your hearts become over-full of the pleasures of food and wine, and the cares of this life, and that day may come on you suddenly, and take you as in a net: 35 For so it will come on all those who are living on the face of all the earth. 36 But keep watch at all times with prayer, that you may be strong enough to come through all these things and take your place before the Son of man.
  • 2 Cor 6:2 : 2 (For he says, I have given ear to you at a good time, and I have been your helper in a day of salvation: see, now is the good time; now is the day of salvation):
  • 2 Tim 2:26 : 26 And so they may get themselves free from the net of the Evil One, being made the prisoners of the Lord's servant, for the purpose of God.
  • 1 Pet 2:12 : 12 Being of good behaviour among the Gentiles; so that though they say now that you are evil-doers, they may see your good works and give glory to God when he comes to be their judge.
  • 2 Pet 2:12 : 12 But these men, like beasts without reason, whose natural use is to be taken and put to death, crying out against things of which they have no knowledge, will undergo that same destruction which they are designing for others;
  • Job 18:8-9 : 8 His feet take him into the net, and he goes walking into the cords. 9 His foot is taken in the net; he comes into its grip. 10 The twisted cord is put secretly in the earth to take him, and the cord is placed in his way.
  • Ps 11:6 : 6 On the evil-doer he will send down fire and flames, and a burning wind; with these will their cup be full.
  • Ps 73:18-20 : 18 You put their feet where there was danger of slipping, so that they go down into destruction. 19 How suddenly are they wasted! fears are the cause of their destruction. 20 As a dream when one is awake, they are ended; they are like an image gone out of mind when sleep is over.
  • Prov 6:15 : 15 For this cause his downfall will be sudden; quickly he will be broken, and there will be no help for him.
  • Prov 7:22-23 : 22 The simple man goes after her, like an ox going to its death, like a roe pulled by a cord; 23 Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side.
  • Eccl 8:11 : 11 Because punishment for an evil work comes not quickly, the minds of the sons of men are fully given to doing evil.
  • Isa 30:13 : 13 This sin will be to you like a crack in a high wall, causing its fall suddenly and in a minute.
  • Hab 1:14-17 : 14 He has made men like the fishes of the sea, like the worms which have no ruler over them. 15 He takes them all up with his hook, he takes them in his net, getting them together in his fishing-net: for which cause he is glad and full of joy. 16 For this reason he makes an offering to his net, burning perfume to his fishing-net; because by them he gets much food and his meat is fat. 17 For this cause his net is ever open, and there is no end to his destruction of the nations.
  • Luke 12:20 : 20 But God said to him, You foolish one, tonight I will take your soul from you, and who then will be the owner of all the things which you have got together?
  • Luke 12:39 : 39 But be certain of this, that if the master of the house had had knowledge of the time when the thief was coming, he would have been watching, and would not have let his house be broken into.
  • Luke 17:26-31 : 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the day of the Son of man. 27 They were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day of the overflowing of the waters, when Noah went into the ark, and they all came to destruction. 28 In the same way, in the days of Lot; they were feasting and trading, they were planting and building; 29 But on the day when Lot went out of Sodom, fire came down from heaven and destruction came on them all. 30 So will it be in the day of the revelation of the Son of man. 31 On that day, if anyone is on the roof of the house, and his goods are in the house, let him not go down to take them away; and let him who is in the field not go back to his house.
  • Luke 19:42-44 : 42 Saying, If you, even you, had knowledge today, of the things which give peace! but you are not able to see them. 43 For the time will come when your attackers will put a wall round you, and come all round you and keep you in on every side, 44 And will make you level with the earth, and your children with you; and there will not be one stone resting on another in you, because you did not see that it was your day of mercy.

Similar Verses (AI)

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

  • Eccl 9:11
    80%

    11 And again I saw under the sun that the reward goes not to him who is quick, or the fruits of war to the strong; and there is no bread for the wise, or wealth for men of learning, or respect for those who have knowledge; but time and chance come to all.

  • Eccl 8:6-9
    4 verses
    76%

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

    7 No one is certain what is to be, and who is able to say to him when it will be?

    8 No man has authority over the wind, to keep the wind; or is ruler over the day of his death. In war no man's time is free, and evil will not keep the sinner safe.

    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.

  • Eccl 9:13
    75%

    13 This again I have seen under the sun as wisdom and it seemed great to me.

  • Eccl 6:12
    73%

    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?

  • Prov 7:23
    73%

    23 Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side.

  • Prov 1:17
    73%

    17 Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:

  • Job 18:8-10
    3 verses
    72%

    8 His feet take him into the net, and he goes walking into the cords.

    9 His foot is taken in the net; he comes into its grip.

    10 The twisted cord is put secretly in the earth to take him, and the cord is placed in his way.

  • Hab 1:14-15
    2 verses
    72%

    14 He has made men like the fishes of the sea, like the worms which have no ruler over them.

    15 He takes them all up with his hook, he takes them in his net, getting them together in his fishing-net: for which cause he is glad and full of joy.

  • Eccl 9:1-3
    3 verses
    72%

    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.

    2 Because to all there is one event, to the upright man and to the evil, to the clean and to the unclean, to him who makes an offering and to him who makes no offering; as is the good so is the sinner; he who takes an oath is as he who has fear of it.

    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.

  • Amos 3:5
    72%

    5 Is it possible for a bird to be taken in a net on the earth where no net has been put for him? will the net come up from the earth if it has taken nothing at all?

  • Eccl 3:18-19
    2 verses
    71%

    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.

    19 Because the fate of the sons of men and the fate of the beasts is the same. As is the death of one so is the death of the other, and all have one spirit. Man is not higher than the beasts; because all is to no purpose.

  • Eccl 8:17
    71%

    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 3:6
    71%

    6 A time for search and a time for loss; a time to keep and a time to give away;

  • Matt 24:39
    70%

    39 And they had no care till the waters came and took them all away; so will be the coming of the Son of man.

  • Jer 5:26
    70%

    26 For there are sinners among my people: they keep watch, like men watching for birds; they put a net and take men in it.

  • Ps 9:15
    70%

    15 The nations have gone down into the hole which they made: in their secret net is their foot taken.

  • Job 22:10
    69%

    10 For this cause nets are round your feet, and you are overcome with sudden fear.

  • Eccl 8:11
    69%

    11 Because punishment for an evil work comes not quickly, the minds of the sons of men are fully given to doing evil.

  • Ps 35:8
    69%

    8 Let destruction come on them without their knowledge; let them be taken themselves in their secret nets, falling into the same destruction.

  • Ps 39:6
    69%

    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.

  • Eccl 8:14
    69%

    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.

  • Prov 24:22
    69%

    22 For their downfall will come suddenly; and who has knowledge of the destruction of those in high positions?

  • Eccl 3:2
    69%

    2 A time for birth and a time for death; a time for planting and a time for uprooting;

  • Eccl 3:10-12
    3 verses
    69%

    10 I saw the work which God has put on the sons of man.

    11 He has made everything right in its time; but he has made their hearts without knowledge, so that man is unable to see the works of God, from the first to the last.

    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.

  • Isa 19:8
    69%

    8 The fishermen will be sad, and all those who put fishing-lines into the Nile will be full of grief, and those whose nets are stretched out on the waters will have sorrow in their hearts.

  • Job 8:9
    69%

    9 (For we are but of yesterday, and have no knowledge, because our days on earth are gone like a shade:)

  • Eccl 6:1
    68%

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

  • Job 27:20
    68%

    20 Fears overtake him like rushing waters; in the night the storm-wind takes him away.

  • Mark 13:33
    68%

    33 Take care, keep watch with prayer: for you are not certain when the time will be.

  • Ps 10:9
    68%

    9 He keeps himself in a secret place like a lion in his hole, waiting to put his hands on the poor man, and pulling him into his net.

  • Job 7:1
    68%

    1 Has not man his ordered time of trouble on the earth? and are not his days like the days of a servant working for payment?

  • Job 9:26
    68%

    26 They go rushing on like reed-boats, like an eagle dropping suddenly on its food.

  • Job 32:9
    68%

    9 It is not the old who are wise, and those who are full of years have not the knowledge of what is right.

  • Job 28:13
    68%

    13 Man has not seen the way to it, and it is not in the land of the living.

  • Eccl 7:14
    68%

    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.

  • Prov 27:8
    68%

    8 Like a bird wandering from the place of her eggs is a man wandering from his station.

  • Eccl 5:14
    68%

    14 As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.

  • Luke 21:35
    68%

    35 For so it will come on all those who are living on the face of all the earth.

  • Eccl 5:16
    68%

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