Ecclesiastes 2:21 “When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,…”

Ecclesiastes 2:21

When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil.

Berean Standard Bible

Other translations

King James Version

For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

World English Bible

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

American Standard Version

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Geneva Bible 1599

For there is a man whose trauaile is in wisdome, and in knowledge and in equitie: yet to a man that hath not trauailed herein, shall he giue his portion: this also is vanitie and a great griefe.

Darby Translation

For there is a man whose labour hath been with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill, and who leaveth it to a man that hath not laboured therein, to be his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Young's Literal Translation

For there is a man whose labour [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it — his portion! Even this [is] vanity and a great evil.

Bible in Basic English

Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.

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Cross references

“whose”

Ecclesiastes 9:18 2 Chronicles 33:2–9 2 Chronicles 34:2 2 Chronicles 35:18 2 Chronicles 36:5–10 Jeremiah 22:15

Ecclesiastes 9:18 · BSB

Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

2 Chronicles 33:2–9 · BSB

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 34:2 · BSB

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

2 Chronicles 35:18 · BSB

No such Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Isra…

2 Chronicles 36:5–10 · BSB

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

Jeremiah 22:15 · BSB

Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.

Cross references adapted from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0) and the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

In context

20So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun.

22For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?

Read Ecclesiastes 2