Ecclesiastes 4:8

New English Translation

A 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!

Cross References

Genesis 2:18

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.”

Psalm 39:6

Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”

Psalm 39:7

But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope!

Proverbs 27:20

As Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so the eyes of a person are never satisfied.

Ecclesiastes 1:13

I 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.

Ecclesiastes 1:8

All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it: The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.

Ecclesiastes 2:21

For 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!

Ecclesiastes 2:23

For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!

Ecclesiastes 4:7

So I again considered another futile thing on earth:

Ecclesiastes 5:10

The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money, he who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. This also is futile.

Ecclesiastes 5:9

The produce of the land is seized by all of them, even the king is served by the fields.

Isaiah 5:8

Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, those who also accumulate landed property until there is no land left, and you are the only landowners remaining within the land.

Isaiah 55:2

Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food!

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Luke 12:20

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

1 John 2:16

because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world.