'Work' in the Bible

Then everyone will fearand will tell about God’s work,for they will understand what He has done.

Do You work wonders for the dead?Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?Selah

Let Your work be seen by Your servants,and Your splendor by their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;establish for us the work of our hands—establish the work of our hands!

Long ago You established the earth,and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Man goes out to his workand to his labor until evening.

In vain you get up early and stay up late,working hard to have enough food—yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.

The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.Lord, Your love is eternal;do not abandon the work of Your hands.

I remember the days of old;I meditate on all You have done;I reflect on the work of Your hands.

A man will be satisfied with goodby the words of his mouth,and the work of a man’s hands will reward him.

There is profit in all hard work,but endless talk leads only to poverty.

The one who is truly lazy in his workis brother to a vandal.

A slacker’s craving will kill himbecause his hands refuse to work.

Do you see a man skilled in his work?He will stand in the presence of kings.He will not stand in the presence of unknown men. >

If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”won’t He who weighs hearts consider it?Won’t He who protects your life know?Won’t He repay a person according to his work?

Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field;afterward, build your house.

Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

So I began to give myself over to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun.

When there is a man whose work was done 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 wrong.

For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?

There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.

I said to myself, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every work.”

I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to a man’s jealousy of his friend. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

For dreams result from much work and a fool’s voice from many words.

Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?

Consider the work of God,for who can straighten outwhat He has made crooked?

All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one man has authority over another to his harm.

I observed all the work of God and concluded that man is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a man labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if the wise man claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.

Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

Just as you don’t know the path of the wind,or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman,so you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.

The strong one will become tinder,and his work a spark;both will burn together,with no one to quench the flames.

Their land is full of idols;they bow down to the work of their hands,to what their fingers have made.

At their feasts they have lyre, harp,tambourine, flute, and wine.They do not perceive the Lord’s actions,and they do not see the work of His hands.

to those who say:“Let Him hurry up and do His work quicklyso that we can see it!Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take placeso that we can know it!”

But when the Lord finishes all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant acts and the proud look in his eyes.”

Those who work with flax will be dismayed;the combers and weavers will turn pale.

Lord, You will establish peace for us,for You have also done all our work for us.

For the Lord will rise up as He did at Mount Perazim.He will rise in wrath, as at the Valley of Gibeon,to do His work, His strange work,and to perform His task, His disturbing task.

For when he sees his children,the work of My hands within his nation,they will honor My name,they will honor the Holy One of Jacoband stand in awe of the God of Israel.

The oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat salted fodder scattered with winnowing shovel and fork.

Look, you are nothingand your work is worthless.Anyone who chooses you is detestable.

“Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—one clay pot among many.Does clay say to the one forming it,‘What are you making?’Or does your work say,‘He has no hands’?

This is what the Lord,the Holy One of Israel and its Maker, says:“Ask Me what is to happen to My sons,and instruct Me about the work of My hands.

Look, I have created the craftsmanwho blows on the charcoal fireand produces a weapon suitable for its task;and I have created the destroyer to cause havoc.

Then all your people will be righteous;they will possess the land forever;they are the branch I planted,the work of My hands,so that I may be glorified.

Yet Lord, You are our Father;we are the clay, and You are our potter;we all are the work of Your hands.

They will not build and others live in them;they will not plant and others eat.For My people’s lives will belike the lifetime of a tree.My chosen ones will fully enjoythe work of their hands.

Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,and gold from Uphazfrom the hands of a goldsmith,the work of a craftsman.Their clothing is blue and purple,all the work of skilled artisans.

They are worthless, a work to be mocked.At the time of their punishmentthey will be destroyed.

You must not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work, but you must consecrate the Sabbath day, just as I commanded your ancestors.

“However, if you listen to Me, says the Lord, and do not bring loads through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day and consecrate the Sabbath day and do no work on it,

Do not follow other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.

“‘But you would not obey Me’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘in order that you might provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands and bring disaster on yourselves.’

For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.’”

From their youth, the Israelites and Judeans have done nothing but what is evil in My sight! They have done nothing but provoke Me to anger by the work of their hands”—this is the Lord’s declaration—

You are provoking Me to anger by the work of your hands. You are burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to live for a while. As a result, you will be cut off and become an object of cursing and insult among all the nations of earth.

They are worthless, a work to be mocked.At the time of their punishment they will be destroyed.

ת TavYou will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,according to the work of their hands.

ב BetZion’s precious people—once worth their weight in pure gold—how they are regarded as clay jars,the work of a potter’s hands!

Yet I will make them responsible for the duties of the temple—for all its work and everything done in it.

“This is what the Lord God says: The gate of the inner court that faces east must be closed during the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day and opened on the day of the New Moon.

Now they continue to sinand make themselves a cast image,idols skillfully made from their silver,all of them the work of craftsmen.People say about them,“Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves.”

Assyria will not save us,we will not ride on horses,and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods!’to the work of our hands.For the fatherless receives compassion in You.”

I will remove your carved imagesand sacred pillars from youso that you will not bow down againto the work of your hands.

Lord, I have heard the report about You;Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds.Revive Your work in these years;make it known in these years.In Your wrath remember mercy!

Herds will lie down in the middle of it,every kind of wild animal.Both the desert owl and the screech owlwill roost in the capitals of its pillars.Their calls will sound from the window,but devastation will be on the threshold,for He will expose the cedar work.

The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of Yahweh of Hosts, their God,

Even so, be strong, Zerubbabel”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Work! For I am with you”—the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before Me”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.

I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you didn’t turn to Me”—this is the Lord’s declaration.

“This is John the Baptist!” he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why supernatural powers are at work in him.”

“But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go, work in the vineyard today.’

the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more.

King Herod heard of this, because Jesus’ name had become well known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that’s why supernatural powers are at work in him.”

It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his slaves, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert.

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded by telling the crowd, “There are six days when work should be done; therefore come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day.”

He said to them, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look! I’m driving out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete My work.’

Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them.

Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal of approval on Him.”

Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the One He has sent.”

“I did one work, and you are all amazed,” Jesus answered.

We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.

“We aren’t stoning You for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because You—being a man—make Yourself God.”

I have glorified You on the earthby completing the work You gave Me to do.

And now, I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is of men, it will be overthrown;

As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.”

Then as John was completing his life’s work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the One. But look! Someone is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on His feet.’

Look, you scoffers,marvel and vanish away,because I am doing a work in your days,a work that you will never believe,even if someone were to explain it to you.”

From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

But Paul did not think it appropriate to take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

so that even facecloths or work aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.

Therefore, let it be known to you that this saving work of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen!”

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them

But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness.

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats.