Ecclesiastes 2:11-13

Easy-to-Read Version

¹¹But then I looked at everything I had done and the wealth I had gained. I decided it was all a waste of time! It was like trying to catch the wind.^[a] There is nothing to gain from anything we do in this life.^[b]

Maybe Wisdom Is the Answer

¹²Then I decided to think about what it means to be wise or to be foolish or to do crazy things. And I thought about the one who will be the next king. The new king will do the same as the kings before him.^[c] ¹³I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness in the same way that light is better than darkness.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 2:11 trying to catch the wind Or “It is very troubling to the spirit.” The word for “troubling” can also mean “craving,” and the word for “spirit” can also mean “wind.” Also in verses 17, 26.
Ecclesiastes 2:11 in this life Literally, “under the sun.” Also in verses 17, 22.
Ecclesiastes 2:12 And I thought … before him The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.