Ecclesiastes 2:17 — Bible Verse (KJV)

“Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17 — King James Version (KJV), 1611

Ecclesiastes 2:17 in 6 Bible Translations

Read Ecclesiastes 2:17 in the King James Version (KJV) and 5 other free, public-domain translations side by side.

Ecclesiastes 2:17 WEB — World English Bible (2000)

“So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17 — World English Bible

Ecclesiastes 2:17 ASV — American Standard Version (1901)

“So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind. ”

Ecclesiastes 2:17 — American Standard Version

Ecclesiastes 2:17 YLT — Young's Literal Translation (1862)

“And I have hated life, for sad to me <FI>is<Fi> the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole <FI>is<Fi> vanity and vexation of spirit.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17 — Young's Literal Translation

Ecclesiastes 2:17 DBY — Darby Translation (1890)

“And I hated life; for the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17 — Darby Translation

Ecclesiastes 2:17 GEN — Geneva Bible (1599)

“Therefore I hated life: for the worke that is wrought vnder the sunne is grieuous vnto me: for all is vanitie, and vexation of the spirit.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17 — Geneva Bible

Ecclesiastes 2:17 in Context — Ecclesiastes 2

15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

19 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.

Read the full chapter: Ecclesiastes 2 →

What Does Ecclesiastes 2:17 Mean?

Ecclesiastes 2:17 is a verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes, part of the Old Testament. It appears in Ecclesiastes chapter 2. Use The Living Sword's word-by-word study mode to explore every word in the original Hebrew and Aramaic.

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