Ecclesiastes 7:28

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Job 33:23 : 23 If there is an angel beside him, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness;
  • Ps 12:1 : 1 For the music director; according to the sheminith style; a psalm of David. Deliver, LORD! For the godly have disappeared; people of integrity have vanished.
  • Eccl 7:23-24 : 23 Human Wisdom is Limited I have examined all this by wisdom; I said,“I am determined to comprehend this”– but it was beyond my grasp. 24 Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.
  • Isa 26:9 : 9 I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice.
  • 1 Kgs 11:1-3 : 1 The Lord Punishes Solomon for Idolatry King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women(besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 2 They came from nations about which the LORD had warned the Israelites,“You must not establish friendly relations with them! If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods.” But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them. 3 He had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines; his wives had a powerful influence over him.

Similar Verses (AI)

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

  • Eccl 7:23-27
    5 verses
    88%

    23Human Wisdom is Limited I have examined all this by wisdom; I said,“I am determined to comprehend this”– but it was beyond my grasp.

    24Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.

    25True Righteousness and Wisdom Are Virtually Nonexistent I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.

    26I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a hunter’s snare; her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured by her.

    27The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.

  • Eccl 7:29
    81%

    29This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes.

  • Eccl 8:16-17
    2 verses
    73%

    16Limitations of Human Wisdom When I tried to gain wisdom and to observe the activity on earth– even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night–

    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.

  • Song 3:1-4
    4 verses
    72%

    1The Lost Lover is FoundThe Beloved about Her Lover: All night long on my bed I longed for my lover. I longed for him but he never appeared.

    2“I will arise and look all around throughout the town, and throughout the streets and squares; I will search for my beloved.” I searched for him but I did not find him.

    3The night watchmen found me– the ones who guard the city walls.“Have you seen my beloved?”

    4Scarcely had I passed them by when I found my beloved! I held onto him tightly and would not let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house, to the bedroom chamber of the one who conceived me.

  • Prov 31:10
    72%

    10The Wife of Noble Character Who can find a wife of noble character? For her value is far more than rubies.

  • Eccl 1:13-17
    5 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!

    15What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.

    16Futility of Secular Wisdom I thought to myself,“I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”

    17So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!

  • Job 17:10
    70%

    10Anticipation of Death“But turn, all of you, and come now! I will not find a wise man among you.

  • Prov 18:22
    70%

    22The one who has found a good wife has found what goodness is, and obtained a delightful gift from the LORD.

  • Eccl 4:7-8
    2 verses
    70%

    7Labor Motivated by Greed So I again considered another futile thing on earth:

    8A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments,“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is futile and a burdensome task!

  • Prov 7:15
    70%

    15That is why I came out to meet you, to look for you, and I found you!

  • Prov 7:6-8
    3 verses
    69%

    6For at the window of my house through my window lattice I looked out

    7and I saw among the naive– I discerned among the youths– a young man who lacked sense.

    8He was passing by the street near her corner, making his way along the road to her house

  • Job 28:12-13
    2 verses
    69%

    12No Price Can Buy Wisdom“But wisdom– where can it be found? Where is the place of understanding?

    13Mankind does not know its place; it cannot be found in the land of the living.

  • Prov 8:35
    69%

    35For the one who finds me has found life and received favor from the LORD.

  • Ps 37:36
    68%

    36But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! I looked for them, but they could not be found.

  • Prov 2:4
    68%

    4if you seek it like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure,

  • Prov 20:6
    67%

    6Many people profess their loyalty, but a faithful person– who can find?

  • Eccl 9:9
    67%

    9Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.

  • Song 6:9
    67%

    9But she is unique! My dove, my perfect one! She is the special daughter of her mother, she is the favorite of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and complimented her; the queens and concubines praised her:

  • Prov 3:15
    67%

    15She is more precious than rubies, and none of the things you desire can compare with her.

  • Eccl 2:3
    67%

    3I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine(all the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom) and the effects of behaving foolishly, so that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the few days of their lives.

  • Eccl 6:1
    66%

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

  • Eccl 2:11
    66%

    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.”

  • Eccl 4:3
    66%

    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 6:11
    66%

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

  • Prov 30:19
    66%

    19the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship in the sea, and the way of a man with a woman.

  • Song 5:6
    66%

    6I opened for my beloved, but my lover had already turned and gone away. I fell into despair when he departed. I looked for him but did not find him; I called him but he did not answer me.

  • Eccl 7:15
    66%

    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 7:20
    66%

    20For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins.

  • Isa 41:28
    66%

    28I look, but there is no one, among them there is no one who serves as an adviser, that I might ask questions and receive answers.

  • Deut 22:27
    66%

    27for the man met her in the field and the engaged woman cried out, but there was no one to rescue her.

  • Ezek 22:30
    66%

    30“I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one.

  • Eccl 2:20
    65%

    20So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth.

  • Prov 31:30
    65%

    30Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting. A woman who fears the LORD– she makes herself praiseworthy.

  • Eccl 6:7
    65%

    7All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach– yet his appetite is never satisfied!