Ecclesiastes 2:19

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will rule over all the fruit of my labor that I have worked for under the sun. This too is meaningless.

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

    And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

  • KJV1611 – Modern English

    And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I have labored and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

  • King James Version 1611 (Original)

    And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

  • King James Version with Strong's Numbers

    And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

  • Coverdale Bible (1535)

    for who knoweth, whether he shalbe a wyse ma or a foole? And yet shal he be lorde of all my labours, which I with soch wy?dome haue taken vnder the Sonne. Is not this a vayne thinge?

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    And who knoweth whether he shalbe wise or foolish? yet shall hee haue rule ouer all my labour, wherein I haue trauailed, and wherein I haue shewed my selfe wise vnder the sunne. This is also vanitie.

  • Bishops' Bible (1568)

    And who knoweth whether he shalbe a wise man or a foole? And yet shall he be lorde of all my laboures which I with such wisdome haue taken vnder the sunne: This is also a vayne thyng.

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise [man] or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This [is] also vanity.

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    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.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

  • Bible in Basic English (1941)

    And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.

  • World English Bible (2000)

    Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

  • NET Bible® (New English Translation)

    Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

Referenced Verses

  • Eccl 3:22 : 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than for a person to rejoice in their work, for that is their lot. Who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
  • Eccl 9:13 : 13 I also saw this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me.
  • Luke 16:8 : 8 The master praised the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly, because the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
  • Jas 1:17 : 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
  • Jas 3:17 : 17 But the wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.
  • 1 Kgs 12:14-20 : 14 He said to them, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father disciplined you with whips; I will discipline you with scorpions." 15 So the king refused to listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word spoken by the LORD through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: "What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!" So the Israelites went home. 17 But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them. 18 King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to get into his chariot and flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.
  • 1 Kgs 14:25-28 : 25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 26 He carried off the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. 27 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them, and he handed them over to the commanders of the guards who were stationed at the entrance to the royal palace. 28 Whenever the king went to the house of the LORD, the guards would carry the shields, and afterward, they would return them to the guardroom.
  • 2 Chr 10:13-16 : 13 The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders, 14 he followed the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father disciplined you with whips; I will discipline you with scorpions." 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16 When all Israel realized that the king had not listened to them, they responded to the king, saying, "What share do we have in David? What inheritance is there for us in the son of Jesse? Every man to your tents, Israel! Now take care of your own house, David!" So all the Israelites returned to their homes.
  • 2 Chr 12:9-9 : 9 Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem and took the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made. 10 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and entrusted them to the officers of the guards who protected the entrance to the royal palace.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 2:20-23
    4 verses
    85%

    20So I turned my heart to despair over all the hard work with which I had labored under the sun.

    21For there is a person who labors with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, but then must leave everything to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

    22What does a person gain from all their labor and from the striving of their heart under the sun?

    23All their days are full of sorrow, and their work is filled with grief; even at night their mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.

  • Eccl 2:10-18
    9 verses
    83%

    10Anything my eyes desired, I did not withhold from them; I did not keep my heart from any pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, for this was my reward for all my efforts.

    11Yet when I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, behold, everything was meaningless—a chasing after the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

    12So I turned my attention to consider wisdom, madness, and folly. For what can anyone do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.

    13I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.

    14The wise have eyes in their heads, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate overtakes them both.

    15Then I said in my heart, 'What happens to the fool will also happen to me. So why have I been so very wise?' And I concluded in my heart, 'This too is meaningless.'

    16For the wise, like the fool, will not be remembered forever; in the days to come, everything will be forgotten. How does the wise person die? Just like the fool!

    17So I hated life, because the work done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

    18I hated all my toil under the sun because I must leave it to the one who comes after me.

  • Eccl 6:11-12
    2 verses
    83%

    11The more words, the more meaningless—and what advantage does that bring to anyone?

    12For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few days of their fleeting life? They pass like a shadow. Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?

  • Eccl 8:16-17
    2 verses
    80%

    16When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to observe the work that is done on earth, even though people do not see sleep with their eyes day or night,

    17then I saw all the work of God, that no one can understand the work that is done under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can comprehend it. Even if the wise claim to know, they cannot truly understand it.

  • Eccl 1:2-3
    2 verses
    80%

    2“Utterly meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

    3What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

  • Eccl 1:13-14
    2 verses
    79%

    13I set my heart to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a burdensome task God has given to the human race to occupy themselves with!

    14I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun; they are all meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

  • Eccl 1:16-17
    2 verses
    79%

    16I said to myself, 'Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled Jerusalem before me. I have experienced much wisdom and knowledge.'

    17Then I set my heart to understand wisdom, as well as madness and folly, but I learned that this too is a chasing after the wind.

  • Eccl 8:9
    78%

    9I observed all this as I considered all the work done under the sun: a time when one man has power over another to hurt them.

  • Eccl 6:8
    78%

    8What advantage has the wise person over the fool? What does the poor person gain by knowing how to conduct themselves before the living?

  • Eccl 3:22
    78%

    22So I saw that there is nothing better than for a person to rejoice in their work, for that is their lot. Who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

  • Eccl 12:8
    78%

    8'Utter futility,' says the Teacher. 'Everything is futile!'

  • Eccl 4:15-16
    2 verses
    78%

    15I saw all the living who walk under the sun following the youth, the second one, who replaces him.

    16There is no end to all the people who were before them, yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

  • Eccl 2:25-26
    2 verses
    77%

    25For who can eat or who can enjoy life apart from Him?

    26To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, He gives the task of gathering and storing wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

  • Eccl 2:1-3
    3 verses
    77%

    1I said to myself, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure to see what is good.' But behold, this too was meaningless.

    2I said of laughter, 'It is madness,' and of joy, 'What does it accomplish?'

    3I explored with my heart how to cheer my body with wine, while my mind guided me with wisdom, and how to embrace folly until I could see what is good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

  • Eccl 4:3-4
    2 verses
    77%

    3But better than both is the one who has not yet been born, who has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

    4And I saw that all toil and all skill in work are driven by one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

  • Eccl 9:1
    77%

    1So I reflected on all this and set my heart to examine it: that the righteous, the wise, and their deeds are in the hand of God. People do not know whether love or hatred awaits them; everything lies before them.

  • Eccl 4:7-8
    2 verses
    77%

    7Again, I turned and saw meaninglessness under the sun.

    8There was a man all alone. He had no son or brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 'For whom am I toiling,' he asked, 'and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?' This too is meaningless—a miserable business!

  • Eccl 5:16
    76%

    16Throughout his days, he eats in darkness, with great frustration, sickness, and anger.

  • Eccl 10:14
    76%

    14A fool multiplies words; no one knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him?

  • Eccl 9:13
    76%

    13I also saw this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me.

  • Eccl 8:14
    76%

    14There is a futility that takes place on the earth: righteous people receive what the wicked deserve, and wicked people receive what the righteous deserve. I said, 'This too is vanity.'

  • Eccl 3:18-19
    2 verses
    75%

    18I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man, that God is testing them to show them that they are like animals.

    19For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over animals, for everything is meaningless.

  • Eccl 9:9-10
    2 verses
    75%

    9Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your portion in life and in your hard work under the sun.

    10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

  • Ps 39:6
    75%

    6Behold, You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before You. Surely, every man is but a breath. Selah.

  • Eccl 11:8
    75%

    8For if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in all of them, but let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that comes is meaningless.

  • Eccl 8:7
    74%

    7Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell anyone what is to come?