Ecclesiastes 3:10 “I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occup…”

Ecclesiastes 3:10

I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.

Berean Standard Bible

Other translations

King James Version

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

World English Bible

I have seen the burden which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

American Standard Version

I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

Geneva Bible 1599

I haue seene the trauaile that God hath giuen to ye sonnes of men to humble them thereby.

Darby Translation

I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of men to toil in.

Young's Literal Translation

I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.

Bible in Basic English

I saw the work which God has put on the sons of man.

.mt-body { max-height: none !important; -webkit-mask-image: none !important; mask-image: none !important; } .mt-bar { display: none !important; } .o-trans::after { display: block !important; }

Cross references

“I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.”

Genesis 3:19 Ecclesiastes 2:26 1 Thessalonians 2:9 2 Thessalonians 3:8 Ecclesiastes 1:13 Ecclesiastes 1:14

Genesis 3:19 · BSB

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

Ecclesiastes 2:26 · BSB

To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile…

1 Thessalonians 2:9 · BSB

Surely you recall, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

2 Thessalonians 3:8 · BSB

nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

Ecclesiastes 1:13 · BSB

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a miserable task God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!

Ecclesiastes 1:14 · BSB

I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

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

In context

9What does the worker gain from his toil?

11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.

Read Ecclesiastes 3