Ecclesiastes 8:16

Contemporary English Version (Anglicised) 2012

Day and night I went without sleep, trying to understand what goes on in this world.

Cross References

Genesis 31:40

I sweated every day, and I couldn't sleep at night because of the cold.

Psalm 127:2

It is useless to get up early and stay up late in order to earn a living. God takes care of his own, even while they sleep.

Ecclesiastes 1:13

With all my wisdom I tried to understand everything that happens here on earth. And God has made this so hard for us humans to do.

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I have seen it all, and everything is just as senseless as chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:17

Then I decided to find out all I could about wisdom and foolishness. Soon I realized that this too was as senseless as chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:23

Our bodies ache during the day, and work is torture. Then at night our thoughts are troubled. It just doesn't make sense.

Ecclesiastes 4:8

For example, some people don't have friends or family. But they are never satisfied with what they own, and they never stop working to get more. They should ask themselves, “Why am I always working to have more? Who will get what I leave behind?” What a senseless and miserable life!

Ecclesiastes 5:12

If you have to work hard for a living, you can rest well at night, even if you don't have much to eat. But if you are rich, you can't even sleep.

Ecclesiastes 7:25

So I decided to learn everything I could and become wise enough to discover what life is all about. At the same time, I wanted to understand why it's stupid and senseless to be an evil fool.

Ecclesiastes 8:7

though no one can tell the future.

Ecclesiastes 8:9

I noticed all this and thought seriously about what goes on in the world. Why does one person have the power to hurt another?