Ecclesiastes 3:9

Man is Ignorant of God’s Timing

3:9 What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?

Ecclesiastes 6:7

6:7 All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach –

yet his appetite is never satisfied!

Ecclesiastes 2:22

Painful Days and Restless Nights

2:22 What does a man acquire from all his labor

and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

Ecclesiastes 4:6

4:6 Better is one handful with some rest

than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 10:15

10:15 The toil of a stupid fool wears him out,

because he does not even know the way to the city.

Ecclesiastes 2:18

Futility of Being a Workaholic

2:18 So I loathed all the fruit of my effort,

for which I worked so hard on earth,

because I must leave it behind in the hands of my successor.

Ecclesiastes 2:21

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 4:4

Labor Motivated by Envy

4:4 Then I considered all the skillful work that is done:

Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another.

This also is profitless – like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 9:9

9:9 Enjoy 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.

Ecclesiastes 4:8

4:8 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!