'Work' in the Bible

A song of ascents, by Solomon. If the Lord does not build a house, then those who build it work in vain. If the Lord does not guard a city, then the watchman stands guard in vain.

It is vain for you to rise early, come home late, and work so hard for your food. Yes, he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep.

A person will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words, and the work of his hands will be rendered to him.

In all hard work there is profit, but merely talking about it only brings poverty.

A laborer's appetite works on his behalf, for his hunger urges him to work.

The one who is slack in his work is a brother to one who destroys.

What the sluggard desires will kill him, for his hands refuse to work.

Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will take his position before kings; he will not take his position before obscure people.

Establish your work outside and get your fields ready; afterward build your house.

She obtains wool and flax, and she is pleased to work with her hands.

She begins her work vigorously, and she strengthens her arms.

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!

For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!

There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.

So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?

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.

The fool folds his hands and does no work, so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh.

Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not tell the priest, "It was a mistake!" Why make God angry at you so that he would destroy the work of your hands?"

I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.

Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent?

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.

Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.

Just as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones form in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

The Lover to His Beloved: How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O nobleman's daughter! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a master craftsman.

The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, "Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, Israel!"

For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, to accomplish his work, his peculiar work, to perform his task, his strange task.

Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, who do their work in secret and boast, "Who sees us? Who knows what we're doing?"

One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground! The clay should not say to the potter, "What in the world are you doing? Your work lacks skill!"

This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel, the one who formed him, concerning things to come: "How dare you question me about my children! How dare you tell me what to do with the work of my own hands!

Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. "My servant will acquit many, for he carried their sins.

"Foreigners will take care of your sheep; foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.

They will not work in vain, or give birth to children that will experience disaster. For the Lord will bless their children and their descendants.

My people will sow wheat, but will harvest weeds. They will work until they are exhausted, but will get nothing from it. They will be disappointed in their harvests because the Lord will take them away in his fierce anger.

Do not carry any loads out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath day. But observe the Sabbath day as a day set apart to the Lord, as I commanded your ancestors.

The Lord says, 'You must make sure to obey me. You must not bring any loads through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day. You must set the Sabbath day apart to me. You must not do any work on that day.

"'Sure to be judged is the king who builds his palace using injustice and treats people unfairly while adding its upper rooms. He makes his countrymen work for him for nothing. He does not pay them for their labor.

Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.'

A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps from carrying out his destruction!

I have opened up the place where my weapons are stored. I have brought out the weapons for carrying out my wrath. For I, the Lord God who rules over all, have work to carry out in the land of Babylonia.

Edom was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your products.

They traded with you choice garments, purple clothes and embroidered work, and multicolored carpets, bound and reinforced with cords; these were among your merchandise.

"Son of man, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed bare; yet he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the work he carried out against it.

Even now they persist in sin! They make metal images for themselves, idols that they skillfully fashion from their own silver; all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen! There is a saying about them: "Those who sacrifice to the calf idol are calf kissers!"

Be sure of this! The Lord who commands armies has decreed: The nations' efforts will go up in smoke; their exhausting work will be for nothing.

Flocks and herds will lie down in the middle of it, as well as every kind of wild animal. Owls will sleep in the tops of its support pillars; they will hoot through the windows. Rubble will cover the thresholds; even the cedar work will be exposed to the elements.

Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,' says the Lord. 'Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you citizens of the land,' says the Lord, 'and begin to work. For I am with you,' says the Lord who rules over all.

Think carefully about the past: from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, to the day work on the temple of the Lord was resumed, think about it.

"The Lord who rules over all says, 'If you live and work according to my requirements, you will be able to preside over my temple and attend to my courtyards, and I will allow you to come and go among these others who are standing by you.

Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin.

and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead! And because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him."

When it was about nine o'clock in the morning, he went out again and saw others standing around in the marketplace without work.

And about five o'clock that afternoon he went out and found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why are you standing here all day without work?'

They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You go and work in the vineyard too.'

And the landowner replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am not treating you unfairly. Didn't you agree with me to work for the standard wage?

"What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes.

The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more.

Now King Herod heard this, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him."

It is like a man going on a journey. He left his house and put his slaves in charge, assigning to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert.

But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me."

Consider how the flowers grow; they do not work or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!

Blessed is that slave whom his master finds at work when he returns.

But the president of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, "There are six days on which work should be done! So come and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day."

But he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Look, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work.

Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work.

I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor."

Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life -- the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him."

We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work.

I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! For I am doing a work in your days, a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.'"

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

but Paul insisted that they should not take along this one who had left them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work.

They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them,

But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat.

The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will receive his reward according to his work.

each builder's work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done.

If someone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

We do hard work, toiling with our own hands. When we are verbally abused, we respond with a blessing, when persecuted, we endure,

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

Or do only Barnabas and I lack the right not to work?

Or is he not surely speaking for our benefit? It was written for us, because the one plowing and threshing ought to work in hope of enjoying the harvest.

So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Now if Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the Lord's work, as I am too.

also to submit to people like this, and to everyone who cooperates in the work and labors hard.

As a result, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Thus we urged Titus that, just as he had previously begun this work, so also he should complete this act of kindness for you.

And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in spreading the gospel.

And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work.

But we will not boast beyond certain limits, but will confine our boasting according to the limits of the work to which God has appointed us, that reaches even as far as you.

Nor do we boast beyond certain limits in the work done by others, but we hope that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded among you according to our limits,

so that we may preach the gospel in the regions that lie beyond you, and not boast of work already done in another person's area.

in hard work and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing.

Does God then give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?

I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.

Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else.

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ,

not like those who do their work only when someone is watching -- as people-pleasers -- but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.