Ecclesiastes 7:14

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Eccl 3:22 : 22 So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?
  • Deut 28:47 : 47 The Curse of Military Siege“Because you have not served the LORD your God joyfully and wholeheartedly with the abundance of everything you have,
  • Eccl 3:4 : 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
  • Deut 8:3 : 3 So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. He did this to teach you that humankind cannot live by bread alone, but also by everything that comes from the LORD’s mouth.
  • 1 Kgs 8:47 : 47 When your people come to their senses in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting,‘We have sinned and gone astray; we have done evil.’
  • 1 Kgs 17:17-18 : 17 After this the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was so severe he could no longer breathe. 18 She asked Elijah,“Why, prophet, have you come to me to confront me with my sin and kill my son?”
  • 2 Chr 33:12-13 : 12 In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 13 When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy. The LORD brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the LORD is the true God.
  • Job 10:1-2 : 1 An Appeal for Revelation“I am weary of my life; I will complain without restraint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2 I will say to God,‘Do not condemn me; tell me why you are contending with me.’
  • Ps 30:11-12 : 11 Then you turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy. 12 So now my heart will sing to you and not be silent; O LORD my God, I will always give thanks to you.
  • Ps 40:3 : 3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, praising our God. May many see what God has done, so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the LORD!
  • Ps 94:12-13 : 12 How blessed is the one whom you instruct, O LORD, the one whom you teach from your law, 13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, until the wicked are destroyed.
  • Ps 119:71 : 71 It was good for me to suffer, so that I might learn your statutes.
  • Eccl 12:8 : 8 Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis“Absolutely futile!” laments the Teacher,“All of these things are futile!”
  • Eccl 12:13 : 13 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
  • Isa 22:12-14 : 12 At that time the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth. 13 But look, there is outright celebration! You say,“Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 14 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies told me this:“Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” says the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
  • Isa 26:11 : 11 O LORD, you are ready to act, but they don’t even notice. They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, yes, fire will consume your enemies.
  • Isa 42:25 : 25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them, along with the devastation of war. Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; it burned against them, but they did not take it to heart.
  • Jer 23:20 : 20 The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has fully carried out his intended purposes. In days to come you people will come to understand this clearly.
  • Hos 2:6-7 : 6 The Lord’s Discipline Will Bring Israel Back Therefore, I will soon fence her in with thorns; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. 7 Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them; she will seek them, but she will not find them. Then she will say,“I will go back to my husband, because I was better off then than I am now.”
  • Mic 6:9 : 9 Listen! The LORD is calling to the city! It is wise to respect your authority, O LORD! Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city!
  • Hag 1:5-7 : 5 Here then, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said:‘Think carefully about what you are doing. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.’” 7 The Instruction of the People“Moreover, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said:‘Pay close attention to these things also.
  • Matt 9:13 : 13 Go and learn what this saying means:‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
  • Luke 15:17-18 : 17 But when he came to his senses he said,‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him,“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
  • John 16:22-23 : 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. 23 At that time you will ask me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
  • Acts 14:22 : 22 They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying,“We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions.”
  • Jas 5:13 : 13 Prayer for the Sick Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises.

Similar Verses (AI)

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

  • Eccl 7:13
    83%

    13Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent?

  • Eccl 7:15
    80%

    15Exceptions to the Law of Retribution During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.

  • Eccl 8:14-15
    2 verses
    77%

    14Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said,“This also is an enigma.”

    15Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices So I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.

  • Eccl 11:6-9
    4 verses
    77%

    6Sow your seed in the morning, and do not stop working until the evening; for you do not know which activity will succeed– whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.

    7Life Should Be Enjoyed Because Death is Inevitable Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for a person to see the sun.

    8So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many– all that is about to come is obscure.

    9Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.

  • Eccl 3:10-14
    5 verses
    76%

    10I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them occupied.

    11God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.

    12Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,

    13and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God.

    14God’s Sovereignty I also know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.

  • Eccl 2:24-26
    3 verses
    76%

    24Enjoy Work and its Benefits There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.

    25For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him.

    26For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth– only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile– like chasing the wind!

  • Eccl 3:22
    75%

    22So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?

  • Eccl 7:2-4
    3 verses
    75%

    2It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart.

    3Sorrow is better than laughter, because sober reflection is good for the heart.

    4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.

  • Eccl 8:6
    74%

    6For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, for the oppression of the king is severe upon his victim.

  • Eccl 9:1-2
    2 verses
    74%

    1Everyone Will Die So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated– no one knows what lies ahead.

    2Everyone shares the same fate– the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the ceremonially clean and unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.

  • Eccl 5:17-20
    4 verses
    74%

    17Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.

    18Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.

    19To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions, he has also given him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil; these things are the gift of God.

    20For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.

  • Eccl 7:10-11
    2 verses
    74%

    10Do not say,“Why were the old days better than these days?” for it is not wise to ask that.

    11Wisdom Can Lengthen One’s Life Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day.

  • Eccl 4:3
    73%

    3But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.

  • Eccl 8:9
    73%

    9While applying my mind to everything that happens in this world, I have seen all this: Sometimes one person dominates other people to their harm.

  • Eccl 6:11-12
    2 verses
    73%

    11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?

    12For no one knows what is best for a person during his life– during the few days of his fleeting life– for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.

  • Eccl 6:1
    73%

    1Not Everyone Enjoys Life Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:

  • Eccl 8:17
    72%

    17then I discerned all that God has done: No one really comprehends what happens on earth. Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp it. Even if a wise person claimed that he understood, he would not really comprehend it.

  • Eccl 12:1
    72%

    1Fear God Now Because Old Age and Death Come Quickly So remember your Creator in the days of your youth– before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you will say,“I have no pleasure in them”;

  • Eccl 9:11
    72%

    11Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events Again, I observed this on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest, wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge– for time and chance may overcome them all.

  • Eccl 2:21
    72%

    21For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

  • Eccl 3:16
    72%

    16The Problem of Injustice and Oppression I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.

  • Eccl 11:2
    72%

    2Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for you do not know what calamity may happen on earth.

  • Eccl 3:1
    72%

    1A Time for All Events in Life For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth:

  • Ps 37:7
    72%

    7Wait patiently for the LORD! Wait confidently for him! Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, a man who carries out wicked schemes!

  • Eccl 2:1
    71%

    1Futility of Self-Indulgent Pleasure I thought to myself,“Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile.” But I found that it also is futile.

  • Eccl 2:11
    71%

    11Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded:“All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless– like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”

  • Job 34:9
    71%

    9For he says,‘It does not profit a man when he makes his delight with God.’

  • Eccl 7:18
    71%

    18It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.

  • Prov 15:15
    71%

    15All the days of the afflicted are bad, but one with a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

  • Eccl 1:13-14
    2 verses
    71%

    13I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.

    14I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!