Ecclesiastes 2:21
For there is a man whose labour `is' in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it -- his portion! Even this `is' vanity and a great evil.
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Referenced Verses
- Eccl 2:17-18 : 17 And I have hated life, for sad to me `is' the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole `is' vanity and vexation of spirit. 18 And I have hated all my labour that I labour at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is after me.
- Eccl 9:18 : 18 Better `is' wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroyeth much good!
- Jer 22:15 : 15 Dost thou reign, because thou art fretting thyself in cedar? Thy father -- did he not eat and drink? Yea, he did judgment and righteousness, Then `it is' well with him.
- Jer 22:17 : 17 But thine eyes and thy heart are not, Except on thy dishonest gain, And on shedding of innocent blood, And on oppression, and on doing of violence.
- 2 Chr 31:20-21 : 20 And Hezekiah doth thus in all Judah, and doth that which is good, and that which is right, and that which is true, before Jehovah his God; 21 and in every work that he hath begun for the service of the house of God, and for the law, and for the command, to seek to his God, with all his heart he hath wrought and prospered.
- 2 Chr 33:2-9 : 2 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, like the abominations of the nations that Jehovah dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel, 3 and he turneth and buildeth the high places that Hezekiah his father hath broken down, and raiseth altars for Baalim, and maketh shrines, and boweth himself to all the host of the heavens, and serveth them. 4 And he hath built altars in the house of Jehovah of which Jehovah had said, `In Jerusalem is My name to the age.' 5 And he buildeth altars to all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of Jehovah. 6 And he hath caused his sons to pass over through fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and observed clouds and used enchantments and witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and a wizard; he hath multiplied to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. 7 And he placeth the graven image of the idol that he made in the house of God, of which God said unto David, and unto Solomon his son, `In this house, and in Jerusalem that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I put My name to the age, 8 and I add not to turn aside the foot of Israel from off the ground that I appointed to your fathers, only, if they watch to do all that I have commanded them -- to all the law, and the statutes, and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.' 9 And Manasseh maketh Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, to do evil above the nations that Jehovah destroyed from the presence of the sons of Israel.
- 2 Chr 34:2 : 2 and he doth that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walketh in the ways of David his father, and hath not turned aside -- right or left.
- 2 Chr 35:18 : 18 And there hath not been made a passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, and none of the kings of Israel made such a passover as Josiah hath made, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who are found, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
- 2 Chr 36:5-9 : 5 A son of twenty and five years `is' Jehoiakim in his reigning, and eleven years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah his God; 6 against him hath Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon come up, and bindeth him in brazen fetters to take him away to Babylon. 7 And of the vessels of the house of Jehovah hath Nebuchadnezzar brought in to Babylon, and putteth them in his temple in Babylon. 8 And the rest of the matters of Jehoiakim, and his abominations that he hath done, and that which is found against him, lo, they are written on the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, and reign doth Jehoiachin his son in his stead. 9 A son of eight years is Jehoiachin in his reigning, and three months and ten days he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah; 10 and at the turn of the year hath king Nebuchadnezzar sent and bringeth him in to Babylon, with the desirable vessels of the house of Jehovah, and causeth Zedekiah his brother to reign over Judah and Jerusalem.
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- Eccl 2:22-265 verses86%
22 For what hath been to a man by all his labour, and by the thought of his heart that he laboured at under the sun?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail sadness; even at night his heart hath not lain down; this also `is' vanity.
24 There is nothing good in a man who eateth, and hath drunk, and hath shewn his soul good in his labour. This also I have seen that it `is' from the hand of God.
25 For who eateth and who hasteth out more than I?
26 For to a man who `is' good before Him, He hath given wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; and to a sinner He hath given travail, to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before God. Even this `is' vanity and vexation of spirit.
- Eccl 2:15-206 verses84%
15 and I said in my heart, `As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?' And I spake in my heart, that also this `is' vanity:
16 That there is no remembrance to the wise -- with the fool -- to the age, for that which `is' already, `in' the days that are coming is all forgotten, and how dieth the wise? with the fool!
17 And I have hated life, for sad to me `is' the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole `is' vanity and vexation of spirit.
18 And I have hated all my labour that I labour at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is after me.
19 And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also `is' vanity.
20 And I turned round to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour that I laboured at under the sun.
- Eccl 2:10-123 verses82%
10 And all that mine eyes asked I kept not back from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labour, and this hath been my portion, from all my labour,
11 and I have looked on all my works that my hands have done, and on the labour that I have laboured to do, and lo, the whole `is' vanity and vexation of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun!
12 And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what `is' the man who cometh after the king? that which `is' already -- they have done it!
- Eccl 8:16-172 verses80%
16 When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that hath been done on the earth, (for there is also a spectator in whose eyes sleep is not by day and by night),
17 then I considered all the work of God, that man is not able to find out the work that hath been done under the sun, because though man labour to seek, yet he doth not find; and even though the wise man speak of knowing he is not able to find.
- Eccl 1:2-32 verses80%
2 Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole `is' vanity.
3 What advantage `is' to man by all his labour that he laboureth at under the sun?
- 80%
16 And this also `is' a painful evil, just as he came, so he goeth, and what advantage `is' to him who laboureth for wind?
- Eccl 4:3-42 verses79%
3 And better than both of them `is' he who hath not yet been, in that he hath not seen the evil work that hath been done under the sun.
4 And I have seen all the labour, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbour. Even this `is' vanity and vexation of spirit.
- 79%
22 And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it `is' his portion; for who doth bring him in to look on that which is after him?
- Eccl 4:7-82 verses79%
7 And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
8 There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he hath not, and there is no end to all his labour! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and `he saith not', `For whom am I labouring and bereaving my soul of good?' This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.
- 79%
14 There is a vanity that hath been done upon the earth, that there are righteous ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the righteous. I have said that this also `is' vanity.
- Eccl 6:11-122 verses78%
11 For there are many things multiplying vanity; what advantage `is' to man?
12 For who knoweth what `is' good for a man in life, the number of the days of the life of his vanity, and he maketh them as a shadow? for who declareth to man what is after him under the sun?
- Eccl 1:13-142 verses78%
13 And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It `is' a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
14 I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole `is' vanity and vexation of spirit!
- Eccl 3:9-102 verses78%
9 What advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?
10 I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
- Eccl 6:1-22 verses77%
1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it `is' great on man:
2 A man to whom God giveth wealth, and riches, and honour, and there is no lack to his soul of all that he desireth, and God giveth him not power to eat of it, but a stranger eateth it; this `is' vanity, and it `is' an evil disease.
- Eccl 1:17-182 verses77%
17 And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this `is' vexation of spirit;
18 for, in abundance of wisdom `is' abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'
- Eccl 6:7-93 verses77%
7 All the labour of man `is' for his mouth, and yet the soul is not filled.
8 For what advantage `is' to the wise above the fool? What to the poor who knoweth to walk before the living?
9 Better `is' the sight of the eyes than the going of the soul. This also `is' vanity and vexation of spirit.
- 77%
10 All that thy hand findeth to do, with thy power do, for there is no work, and device, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol whither thou art going.
- 76%
16 there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter rejoice not in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
- 76%
12 I have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life,
- Eccl 5:18-192 verses75%
18 Lo, that which I have seen: `It is' good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one's labour that he laboureth at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God hath given to him, for it `is' his portion.
19 Every man also to whom God hath given wealth and riches, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labour, this is a gift of God.
- 75%
8 Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole `is' vanity.
- 75%
6 Only, in an image doth each walk habitually, Only, `in' vain, they are disquieted, He heapeth up and knoweth not who gathereth them.
- 75%
15 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging `himself' in his wrong.
- Eccl 8:9-102 verses75%
9 All this I have seen so as to give my heart to every work that hath been done under the sun; a time that man hath ruled over man to his own evil.
10 And so I have seen the wicked buried, and they went in, even from the Holy Place they go, and they are forgotten in the city whether they had so done. This also `is' vanity.
- 74%
11 Wealth from vanity becometh little, And whoso is gathering by the hand becometh great.
- 74%
1 But all this I have laid unto my heart, so as to clear up the whole of this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, `are' in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred doth man know, the whole `is' before them.