Ecclesiastes 2:23

God's Word

Their entire life is filled with pain, and their work is unbearable. Even at night their minds don’t rest. Even this is pointless.

Cross References

Genesis 3:17

Then he said to the man, “You listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree, although I commanded you, ‘You must never eat its fruit.’ The ground is cursed because of you. Through hard work you will eat ⌞food that comes⌟ from it every day of your life.

Genesis 47:9

Jacob answered Pharaoh, “The length of my stay on earth has been 130 years. The years of my life have been few and difficult, fewer than my ancestors’ years.”

Esther 6:1

That night the king could not sleep. So he told ⌞a servant⌟ to bring the official daily records, and they were read to the king.

Job 14:1

“A person who is born of a woman is short-lived and is full of trouble.

Job 5:7

But a person is born for trouble as surely as sparks fly up ⌞from a fire⌟.

Psalm 127:2

It is useless to work hard for the food you eat by getting up early and going to bed late. The Lord gives ⌞food⌟ to those he loves while they sleep.

Psalm 32:4

Day and night your hand laid heavily on me. My strength shriveled in the summer heat. Selah

Psalm 90:15

Make us rejoice for as many days as you have made us suffer, for as many years as we have experienced evil.

Ecclesiastes 1:13

With all my heart I used wisdom to study and explore everything done under heaven. Mortals are weighed down with a terrible burden that God has placed on them.

Ecclesiastes 1:18

With a lot of wisdom ⌞comes⌟ a lot of heartache. The greater ⌞your⌟ knowledge, the greater ⌞your⌟ pain.

Ecclesiastes 2:11

But when I turned to look at all that I had accomplished and all the hard work I had put into it, I saw that it was all pointless. ⌞It was like⌟ trying to catch the wind. I gained nothing ⌞from any of my accomplishments⌟ under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 5:12

The sleep of working people is sweet, whether they eat a little or a lot. But the full stomachs that rich people have will not allow them to sleep.

Ecclesiastes 5:17

They spend their entire lives in darkness, in constant frustration, sickness, and resentment.

Ecclesiastes 8:16

When I carefully considered how to study wisdom and how to look at the work that is done on earth (even going without sleep day and night),

Daniel 6:18

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night without food or company. He couldn’t get to sleep.

Acts 14:22

They strengthened the disciples in these cities and encouraged the disciples to remain faithful. Paul and Barnabas told them, “We must suffer a lot to enter God’s kingdom.”