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Ecclesiastes 2:14–15

14 tThe wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the usame event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, v“What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

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Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The New International Version (NIV)

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.

15 Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.

What then do I gain by being wise?”

I said to myself,

“This too is meaningless.”

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — King James Version (KJV 1900)

14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. 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.

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — New Living Translation (NLT)

14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!”

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The New King James Version (NKJV)

14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head,

But the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I myself perceived

That the same event happens to them all.

15 So I said in my heart,

“As it happens to the fool,

It also happens to me,

And why was I then more wise?”

Then I said in my heart,

“This also is vanity.”

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — New Century Version (NCV)

14 Wise people see where they are going,

but fools walk around in the dark.

Yet I saw that

both wise and foolish people end the same way.

15 I thought to myself,

“What happens to a fool will happen to me, too,

so what is the reward for being wise?”

I said to myself,

“Being wise is also useless.”

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — American Standard Version (ASV)

14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all. 15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)

14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness; but I myself also perceived that one event happeneth to them all. 15 And I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool so will it happen even to me; and why was I then so wise? Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

14 A wise person uses the eyes in his head, but a fool walks in the dark. But I have also come to realize that the same destiny waits for both of them. 

15 I thought to myself, “⸤If⸥ the destiny that waits for the fool waits for me as well, then what is the advantage in being wise?” So I thought that even this is pointless. 

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

14 The wise man has eyes in his head,

but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. 15 So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” And I said to myself that this is also futile.

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

14 The wise have eyes in their head,

but fools walk in darkness.

Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them. 15 Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)

14 The wise man can see where he is walking, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that both of them suffer the same fate. 15 So I said to myself, “If I also suffer the same fate as the fool, what advantage is my great wisdom?” So I said to myself, “This also is vanity!”

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)

14 The eyes of a wise man see things clearly.

A person who is foolish lives in darkness.

But I finally realized that death catches up

with both of them.

15 Then I thought,

“What happens to a foolish person will catch up with me too.

So what do I gain by being wise?”

I said to myself,

“That doesn’t have any meaning either.”

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 — New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)

14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.

15 Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.”


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