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Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
New Catholic Bible
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
New Catholic Bible
The Wise Man Must Die No Less than the Fool
12 Then my reflections focused on wisdom
as well as madness and folly,
and I came to the realization that whoever succeeds a king can do nothing,
since everything has already been done.
13 I also came to understand that more is to be gained from wisdom than from folly,[a]
just as light is more profitable than darkness.
14 The wise keep their eyes open,
whereas fools walk in darkness.
And yet at the same time I realized
that the same fate befalls them both.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:13 More is to be gained from wisdom than from folly: it is better to be wise, just as to walk in light is better than walking in darkness. However, as far as death is concerned, both the wise believer and the foolish unbeliever meet the same fate (see Ps 49:11).
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
New International Version
Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless
12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
and also madness and folly.(A)
What more can the king’s successor do
than what has already been done?(B)
13 I saw that wisdom(C) is better than folly,(D)
just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate overtakes them both.(E)
New International Version (NIV) 
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