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Ecclesiastes 2:17-19
New Catholic Bible
Ecclesiastes 2:17-19
New Catholic Bible
17 As a result, I came to hate life,
since I loathe the work that is done under the sun;
for all is vanity and a chase after the wind.
A Chase after the Wind
18 So Many Labors with the Profit Going to Others.[a] Therefore, I have come to hate all my labor and toil under the sun because I now must bequeath its fruits to my successor.[b] 19 And I have no way of knowing in advance whether he will be wise or a fool. Either way, he will be the master of all the fruits of my work for which I toiled and employed my wisdom under the sun. This too is vanity.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:18 One day the best of our efforts will slip out of our hands, and we will lose all control over and use of them. Hence, a radical insecurity and disquietude weigh upon our human condition.
- Ecclesiastes 2:18 Bequeath its fruits to my successor: see verse 21; Ps 39:7; Lk 12:20.